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PortEconomics
  • April 26th, 2026
PortEconomics
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    Risk-driven supply chain designs – a re-assessment with geopolitical and geoeconomic considerations

    Risk-driven supply chain designs – a re-assessment with geopolitical and geoeconomic considerations

    Rhine-Scheldt delta port system

    Rhine-Scheldt delta port system

    A metric of global maritime supply chain disruptions: The global supply chain stress index - maritime (GSCSI-M)

    A metric of global maritime supply chain disruptions: The global supply chain stress index - maritime (GSCSI-M)

    ESG disclosure as a proxy of port corporate communication and sustainable management strategy: An LDA approach

    ESG disclosure as a proxy of port corporate communication and sustainable management strategy: An LDA approach

    From coal exports to green steel production? The role of circular economy precincts for sustainable port diversification

    From coal exports to green steel production? The role of circular economy precincts for sustainable port diversification

  • Presentations
    IAPH World Ports Tracker 2026 reveals state of global port sustainability

    IAPH World Ports Tracker 2026 reveals state of global port sustainability

    PortGraphic: Container port dynamics near Gibraltar

    PortGraphic: Container port dynamics near Gibraltar

    Top-10 PortReads in 2025

    Top-10 PortReads in 2025

    Port reform: World Bank publishes the third edition of its port reform toolkit

    Port reform: World Bank publishes the third edition of its port reform toolkit

    When will we admit that maritime transport will not be decarbonised by 2050?

    When will we admit that maritime transport will not be decarbonised by 2050?

  • Noticeboard
    Call for papers: Contemporary Maritime Economics: Transformations and Emerging Perspectives

    Call for papers: Contemporary Maritime Economics: Transformations and Emerging Perspectives

    ECONSHIP2026: Call for papers

    ECONSHIP2026: Call for papers

    Call for papers: 1st Florence Maritime Regulation Conference

    Call for papers: 1st Florence Maritime Regulation Conference

    PortEconomics co-director appointed Senior Scientific Advisor to the Florence School of Regulation

    PortEconomics co-director appointed Senior Scientific Advisor to the Florence School of Regulation

    Jean Monnet Chair in European Port Policy

    Jean Monnet Chair in European Port Policy

  • Viewpoints
    Port-city integration

    Port-city integration

    Commission unveils new EU Ports Strategy

    Commission unveils new EU Ports Strategy

    PortGraphic: Top-15 EU container ports in Q3 2025

    PortGraphic: Top-15 EU container ports in Q3 2025

    Maritime transport in net zero

    Maritime transport in net zero

    Portgraphic: Top-15 EU container ports in H1 2025

    Portgraphic: Top-15 EU container ports in H1 2025

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  • PortReport

Theo Notteboom

Dr. Theo Notteboom is co-founder and co-director of PortEconomics. He is a professor in port and maritime economics and management with about 25 years of experience in this area. His work is widely cited. He is a regular speaker at international conferences and a rapporteur/expert to leading organizations in the field. He is Chair Professor at Ghent University in Belgium. He is a visiting Research Professor at China Institute of FTZ Supply Chain of Shanghai Maritime University. He also is part-time Professor at University of Antwerp and the Antwerp Maritime Academy in Belgium. He previously held a full-time position as High-end Foreign Expert / Professor at Dalian Maritime University in China (2014-2016) and an MPA visiting professorship in port management at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. He is immediate past President (2010-2014) and Council Member of International Association of Maritime Economists (IAME). Between October 2006 and October 2014 he was President of ITMMA of the University of Antwerp. Between 2009 and 2014 he was Chairman of the Board of Directors of Belgian Institute of Transport Organizers (BITO), an institute of the Belgian Federal Government.

Author's Posts

Container port competition in Europe

Container port competition in Europe

Containers
Dutch and Belgian container ports in 2015: mixed results, mixed feelings Containers

Dutch and Belgian container ports in 2015: mixed results, mixed feelings

By Theo Notteboom The current volatility in the container business is very visible when looking at the results of the container ports in the Rhine-Scheldt Delta, the largest container port region in Europe in volume terms and ranked 6th worldwide. Dutch and Belgian ports together handled 23.54 million TEU in 2015 or just 0.45% more...
Institutional development paths in seaports: the southern african case Featured

Institutional development paths in seaports: the southern african case

Political instabilities and their consequential economic lags have to some extent misaligned the pace of institutional reforms in Southern African ports compared with ports in the developed world. Some ports in this region (South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Mauritius and Madagascar) have however, over the last 10 to15 years begun to...
The competitive position of the upgraded Panama canal Containers

The competitive position of the upgraded Panama canal

The competitive position of the upgraded Panama Canal was the theme of an invited presentation by PortEconomics co-director Theo Notteboom, delivered at the 3rd Busan International Port Conference (BIPC). About 500 port leaders and figures in the global port and shipping industry attended the event. Theo,gave his perspective on...
How significant is the slowdown in chinese container ports? Containers

How significant is the slowdown in chinese container ports?

By Theo Notteboom Chinese container ports are feeling the full impact of the Chinese economic slowdown and the weak global economic situation. Over the years, we have become used to seeing high growth rates in Chinese ports, so the sudden change might come as a bit of surprise to many. How significant is the slowdown in container...
Port development in Sub-Saharan Africa: competitive forces, port reform & investment challenges Featured

Port development in Sub-Saharan Africa: competitive forces, port reform & investment challenges

The funding options available to South African container ports given their respective institutional position and port capacity needs are at the centre of the port study developed by PortEconomics co-director Τheo Notteboom and PortEconomics associate member Darren Fraser latest port study. The study under the title: The port...
Scenarios on alliance formation in container shipping Containers

Scenarios on alliance formation in container shipping

By Theo Notteboom Having demostrated (see inforgraphic below) how strategic alliances among container shipping companies have changed in the past 20 years, PortEconomics co-director Theo Notteboom, explains the scenarios on alliance formation in container shipping today. Four alliances are operational in the market: 2M, Ocean...
The european container system in 2014 Containers

The european container system in 2014

By Theo Notteboom With a total maritime container throughput of an estimated 101.5 million TEU in 2014, the European container port system crossed the 100 million TEU mark for the first time ever. Growth was particularly strong in the period 2005- 2007, with an average annual growth rate of 10.5%, compared to 6.8% in the...
Traffic decline in container ports: the exception or the new normal? Containers

Traffic decline in container ports: the exception or the new normal?

By Theo Notteboom Recently, Hamburg announced that container throughput in the Elbe port saw a decline of 6.8% in the first half of 2015 compared to the same period last year, mainly caused by a sharp decrease in the trade volumes with Russia and China. The container business is generally considered as a growth sector. Over the past...
Ports of call combinations on the Europe-Asia trade Containers

Ports of call combinations on the Europe-Asia trade

By Theo Notteboom When container shipping lines design a weekly service between Asia and North Europe, they have to decide how many and which ports of call to include in the schedule. On the North European side, they typically ensure they serve the biggest port regions. Therefore, almost all liner services on the North Europe – Far...
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Weekly Timeline
Apr 23rd 4:58 PM
Featured

IAPH World Ports Tracker 2026 reveals state of global port sustainability

Apr 8th 1:36 PM
Featured

Risk-driven supply chain designs – a re-assessment with geopolitical and geoeconomic considerations

Mar 27th 5:31 PM
Thematic Area

Port-city integration

Mar 9th 4:35 PM
Featured

Rhine-Scheldt delta port system

Mar 6th 1:23 PM
Thematic Area

Commission unveils new EU Ports Strategy

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