Impact of port cooperation on port competitiveness and network structure: a case study of Osaka and Kobe ports

Abstract Cooperation between ports is known to enhance their competitiveness. This study aims to reveal changes in the global shipping network structure and evaluate the competitiveness of cooperating ports in the shipping network as port connectivity. We apply a backbone flow algorithm, which creates an initial shipping network with backbone flow and reconstructs the network using an adaptive large-neighborhood search, to solve a liner shipping network design problem. Network science measures are used to evaluate changes in network structure and port connectivity. The cooperation between the Osaka and Kobe ports is analyzed as a case study. We find that draft development allows large-sized vessels, which cannot currently call at the Osaka and Kobe ports, to dock there, enhancing their competitiveness. This increased competitiveness surpasses that of the Kaohsiung port but remains lower than that of other large Asian hub ports, including Busan, Singapore, and Tanjung Pelepas. Our findings provide guidelines for developing port strategies to attract more port calls and enhance competitiveness through port cooperation.