ABSTRACT
This chapter adopts a different perspective, by raising the question on how the intensity, distribution, specialization, and topology of shipping flows is determined not only by operational but also territorial factors. It deals with port regions as nodes in a global maritime network, where we investigate the degree of affinity between regional specialization and traffic specialization as a first step towards the understanding of the local determinants of shipping flows. The chapter adopts a complementary perspective based on the concepts of homophily and assortativity in maritime networks, namely how port regions of similar or contrasted profiles connect through certain types of shipping flows. It gives more importance to the distance parameter, or friction of trades, by applying a gravity model to interregional (long-distance) shipping flows and contrasting the results with observed flows. The chapter discusses the outcomes of this research and its contribution to existing regional and transport studies, while examining possible transfers in terms of decision-making support.
