Container shipping: a systematic literature review of themes and factors that influence the establishment of direct connections between countries

The establishment of direct connections between countries in container shipping is largely driven by the underlying trade dynamics. It is also the joint result of various other contributing factors, ranging from land infrastructure to carrier strategies. The literature to date has only partially focused on some of the factors that in theory may affect the establishment of direct connections but has mainly focused on the positive impact that a direct connection between two countries may have on bilateral trade development. However, there has been only limited research on the systematic identification of the factors that should be in place, to promote or prevent the establishment of a direct link between countries in container shipping. This paper attempts to fill this gap by undertaking a Systematic Literature Review that examines the issue from various perspectives and classifies the previous research under five themes: (1) Shipping Network, (2) Connectivity, (3) Port Selection Criteria, (4) Trade and (5) Alternative Transport Modes. A framework is subsequently developed which identifies the set of factors that determine the establishment of direct container shipping connections between trading countries and the expected impact (positive, negative or ambiguous) of each factor. The insights from our research and the framework developed can be of use to interested stakeholders across the research and policy domains who have an interest in both the establishment and continuation of direct container shipping connections between trading countries.