Systematic optimization of port clusters along the Maritime Silk Road in the context of industry transfer and production capacity constraints

This paper addresses a port cluster problem that considers industry transfer and the capacity constraints along the Maritime Silk Road (MSR). A method is proposed based on hub and spoke network model and spatial competition model to determine the equilibrium port supply and manufacturing scale along the MSR. The model is simplified into a nonlinear one by converting objective functions into constraints. The numerical analyses indicate that Jawahalal Nehru Port and Singapore Port will be still hubs as their current situation with Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and port cluster growth will benefit both manufacturing industry and social welfare.