2019 Volume 5 Issue 4 Pages 546-569
This paper focuses on a container transhipment hub in South Asia (namely, Colombo port, Sri Lanka) and its competitive situation, by applying a model to predict global container movements on the international maritime shipping network, based on a network equilibrium assignment methodology, under the given shipping demand between seaports. After the network structure of the model is modified and the model convergence and agreement with the current transhipment situation at worlds’ major hub ports are examined, the container flows transhipped at Colombo port are analysed. Subsequently, two kinds of simulation related to Colombo port are examined; improvement of transhipment cargo handling and construction of a new container hub in South India as a competitor. The latter simulation indicates that the transhipment containers in Colombo port would significantly decrease, if the new port can successfully attract all services operated by the largest shipping company, although the liner service network is provided and its change is not endogenised in the model.
