Spatial differentiation and contributing mechanisms of static resilience in the global container shipping network

As a highly complex system, the global container shipping network exhibits marked multi-attribute characteristics. However, traditional research on shipping network resilience has tended to emphasize structural resilience while giving limited attention to geographical location and cargo distribution functions. Grounded in complex adaptive systems theory and the analytical perspective of “agent adaptability-self-organization-emergence,” this study constructs a static resilience framework spanning topological structure, transport function, and geographical space. Based on shipping data from 2018 to 2022, it quantitatively evaluates the static resilience of the global container shipping network and investigates its spatial differentiation and regional contribution mechanisms. Results indicate that incorporating locational and functional dimensions raises overall static resilience by 4%–7%. Across shipping regions, static resilience exhibits pronounced spatial differentiation and unevenness, forming high-resilience clusters in East Asia and Northwest Europe and low-resilience peripheral zones along the west coast of Africa and the west coast of South America. The dominant sources of resilience vary significantly by region, with locational resilience contributing most strongly to the resilience of the global container shipping network. These findings enrich resilience assessment in shipping networks and provide theoretical and policy implications for maritime supply chain security and sustainable development.