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Portgraphic: Top-15 EU container ports in H1 2025
Following the strong recovery of European container ports in 2024 after the turbulence of 2023, the first half of 2025 reveals a reshuffling of growth dynamics across the top 15 EU container ports. While overall volumes remain steady, the latest figures highlight significant regional divergences and notable winners. PortEconomics member Theo Notteboom analyses, the data shows both continuity and shifts in Europe’s container port hierarchy. ✅ Baltic Hub propels Gdansk to the topGdansk leads the European ranking in terms of...
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Portgraphic: fleet capacity (owned/chartered) of container shipping lines
By Theo Notteboom The global container shipping fleet has experienced significant growth over the past few decades, driven by the steady rise in international trade. Shipping lines have expanded their fleets either through organic growth—as in the case of MSC—or through a combination of organic growth and mergers & acquisitions, like Maersk. Today, the top 20 container carriers collectively operate a fleet (including both owned and chartered vessels) with a total capacity of 30 million TEU. Three years ago, this figure...
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Port reform: World Bank publishes the third edition of its port reform toolkit
The World Bank published the third edition of the Port Reform Toolkit - highlighting, among others the transformation of ports in recent years and the emerging issues to address. The enhanced Port Reform Toolkit 3.0 begins by analysing global trends and their impact on ports. Module 2 introduces concepts of change management. Then, in eight substantive modules, we explore port governance, privatisation, regulation, finance, and labour arrangements, followed by new modules that are now at the core of future-proofing ports:...
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Evaluating customer satisfaction with clearing and forwarding agents: Kuwait Shuwaikh Port
PortEconomics member Theo Notteboom and Ahmed Alsalfiti (University of Antwerp and Antwerp Management School, Belgium) investigated the influence of service quality on customer satisfaction with clearing and forwarding C&F agents using the SERVQUAL model and their portstudy has been published in the Scientific Journal of Maritime Research. C&F agents play a crucial role in facilitating the clearance and delivery of goods for businesses, and their service quality is heavily dependent on port operations. The authors' research...
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Digital technologies for efficient and resilient sea-land logistics
PortEconomics member Francesco Parola, during the annual conference of the International Association of Maritime Economists, held 25-27 June 2025, in Bergen, Norway, delivered a presentation on “Digital Technologies for Efficient and Resilient Sea-Land Logistics: IT-Based Decision Support Systems to Manage Highway Capacity of Major Gateway Ports”. Francesco examines the crucial role of road transport in port competitiveness and emphasises the necessity for improved coordination between maritime and inland logistics....
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Stakeholders’ attitudes toward container terminal automation
Do you want to understand better why fewer than 80 container terminals are automated? PortEconomics members Theo Notteboom, Thanos Pallis & Geraldine Knatz examine stakeholders' attitudes toward container terminal automation, aiming to place terminal automation as an innovation trajectory in the broader context of stakeholder relations management. More specifically, their port study: Position terminal automation as an innovation trajectory within the broader context of stakeholder relations...
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