Thematic Area
Thematic Area
Jean Monnet Chair in European Port Policy
The European Commission has awarded a Jean Monnet Chair to PortEconomics co-director and University of Piraeus, Department of Maritime Studies Professor Thanos Pallis. Jean Monnet Chairs are specialised teaching posts for university professors, aimed at deepening teaching and research in European Union studies and fostering dialogue between academia and society, both in the Member States of the European Union and in other countries. Co-funded by the European Union, the Jean Monnet Chair in European Port Policy aims to promote the...
Thematic Area
Geopolitical risks and port-related carbon emissions: evidence and policy implications
The geopolitical risks and the port-related Carbon Emissions are the theme of the latest portstudy by PortEconomics member Pierre Cariou (co-authored with Chengkun Li and Dr Dong Yang) published in the scholarly journal Transport Policy. The article addresses geopolitical risks (GPR) and their environmental implications for port-related emissions. Using a monthly panel dataset covering 269 container ports across 40 countries and regions from 2016 to 2023 and employing a system generalized method of moments (SYS-GMM) estimator, it confirms that...
Thematic Area
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...
Thematic Area
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...
Thematic Area
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:...
Thematic Area
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...
Thematic Area
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...
Thematic Area