By sea: The port nexus in the global commodity network (the case of the West Coast ports) (California, Oregon, Washington)

Drawing on theories of globalization and global commodity chain research, this dissertation develops a hybrid construct, the global commodity network (GCN) in order to analyze the role of ocean freight transport as both a sector of production in its own right and as a vital pillar of circulation and global trade. Over the last few decades, the movement of international sea freight has been revolutionized by profound technological changes, including containerization, post-Panamax ships and complementary port technology, which have resulted in the partial realization of a seamless transport chain based on a multi-modal transport system integrated through the application of information technology. In the process of radically collapsing the amount of time required to traverse space, transport technology has facilitated shipping lines to establish an increasingly concentrated network of global ports through which the vast majority of trade is channeled.; The U.S. West Coast ports, and in particular the southern hub ports of San Pedro, are analyzed in three aspects: geographically as part of an international port and regional trade network, economically in terms of the character of trade passing through these ports and the economic participants involved, and theoretically as a case study of a highly concentrated global commodity network. In order to accomplish these, this dissertation (a) maps the port of origin/port of destination network established through international trade by sea as it relates to the West Coast; (b) evaluates the impact of complementary technology utilized by ocean carriers and ports on this network; (c) compiles and compares data such as the value, tonnage/TEUs, and commodity category representing trade passing through these West Coast ports, and (d) examines other trends in the port-shipping industrial cluster which are currently shaping this transport supply chain. Patterns of international economic integration characterized by economic concentration within the industry and by the geographic centralization of trade within a network of trading partners and regions are identified and analyzed as fundamental to the process of globalization.