ence system has meant that conference
pricing (Shneerson 1976 ) has given way to
reliance on confi dential contracts (Gardner,
Marlow and Nair 2002 ). The new pricing
regime has not yet attracted much research,
although S á nchez, Hoffmann, Micco et al.
(2003) and Wilmsmeier and Hoffmann
(2008) examine the effects of route attributes
on rates. The fundamental issues of liner
service optimization for ship size and
network structure ( Jansson and Shneerson
1987 ) remain, although ships are now larger
and networks more extensive (Gilman 1975,
1999 ). The importance of service levels now
commands more attention (Notteboom
2006 ) and greater attention is given to
network methodologies (Song, Zhang,
Carter et al. 2005 )