In less than 25 years containerisation has restructured the way in which regional Asia handles its manufactured and break-bulk cargoes. In 1972 the commissioning of the purpose-built container terminals in Hong Kong and Singapore focused container shipping services, and particularly the trans-Pacific and the traditional Far- East/Europe services, into hub/Feeder networks in which the two ports were the undisputed first order centres. Somewhat later, Kaohsiung and to a lesser extent Pusan, developed as important hubs. But now, in the mid 1990’s, earlier and simpler structures of hub/feeder networks are being quickly transformed into much more complex patterns. Continuing high growth rates of containerised cargo, an increased number of ports with relatively high throughputs and the simple proliferation of ports - particularly but not only in China - have been important factors; but the reorganisation of global liner shipping into a small number of alliances capable of operating larger ships, more complex service patterns and with exceptional market power has been critical. The new shipping networks will be hierarchically organised with high cost-high efficiency first order ports serving high cost-high efficiency shipping services and lower cost-lower efficiency ports serving appropriately segmented shipping markets. In the longer term former feeder ports may be linked into direct call networks; but in practice hub/feeder operations will continue over a long period of time
