Global shipping network dynamics during the COVID-19 pandemic's initial phases.

Catastrophic incidents can significantly disrupt supply chains, but most of these disruptions remain localized. It was not until the onset of COVID-19 that a disruption in our lifetimes achieved a global magnitude. In order to contain the pandemic, governments around the world resorted to closing borders, shutting down manufacturing plants, and imposing lockdowns, which resulted in disrupted production capabilities and weakened consumer spending.