| This study models the container shipping network based on AIS data. It takes into account port production scale, access level, organizational capacity, radiation capacity, and other factors to construct an evaluation index system for container port hub degree. The WASPAS model is applied to calculate hub degrees and to analyze the status and influence of ports within the container shipping network. The results show that: 1) The hub degree index of container port based on AIS data incorporates the port's status and influence in the shipping network, offering a more comprehensive and objective assessment than the throughput index. 2) Only a few ports possess high hub values. Seven ports—Singapore Port, Shanghai Port, Busan Port, Ningbo Zhoushan Port, Rotterdam Port, Shenzhen Port, and Hong Kong Port—exceed a hub degree value of 0.55 and serve as the most critical hubs in the global container port system. 3) China is home to a dense concentration of high-hub-value ports. Nine ports—Shanghai Port, Ningbo Zhoushan Port, Shenzhen Port, Hong Kong Port, Qingdao Port, Kaohsiung Port, Guangzhou Port, Xiamen Port, and Tianjin Port—rank among the global top 20 in hub degree, with Shanghai Port, Ningbo Zhoushan Port, Shenzhen Port, and Hong Kong Port classified as high-level ports. Many other ports—such as Yingkou Port, Yantai Port, Rizhao Port, Lianyungang Port, Suzhou Port, Jiaxing Port, Dongguan Port, and Qinzhou Port—rank lower in hub degree, indicating a significantly lower position in the global container shipping network compared to their throughput rankings. |
