On 11 and 12 May 2015, the Special Interest Group A2 (Ports and Maritime) of the World Conference on Transport Research Society (WCTRS), co-chaired by Prof. Eddy Van de Voorde (Department of Transport and Regional Economics - University of Antwerp / TransportNET) and Prof. Enrico Musso (Department of Quantitative Methods - University of Genova / TransportNET), will host a two-day international conference under the title ‘The Port and Maritime Sector: Key Developments and Challenges’. It will be held at the Department of Transport and Regional Economics, University of Antwerp, Belgium.

The draft conference program is now online.

The conference will be open to attendance by any interested academic or business responsible active or interested in the maritime and port field.

This conference is not just a conference, but has a number of specific features.

• A meeting between scientists and practitioners;
• Each half day of the conference will feature a thematic top keynote speaker, from academia as well as from the port and maritime industry;
• Stress on interdisciplinarity, i.e. all disciplines will be treated (engineering, economy, legal, mathematic,…);
• The subject is about theory and empiry, secondly derived products;
• New research areas and business opportunities will be dealt with.

Special features :

-          Free walking dinner buffet offered by Port of Antwerp 11 May 2015

-          Free technical visit to Port of Antwerp 13 May 2015

-          Conference fee fixed at €100

-          Free copy of new scientific book ‘Port Business: Market Challenges and Management Actions’ for all registered participants.

Conference participation amounts to €100 and will include access to all sessions, a technical visit, all public conference catering and library and other facilities.

More practical details on the conference will be communicated upon registration. Registration and payment are due before 30 April 2015!

TransportNET is hosting a Course on Port Economics and Business from 4 till 8 May 2015 at the University of Antwerp – Department of Transport and Regional Economics, linked to the above-mentioned conference. This course is open to academic researchers (professors, senior researchers, PhD students) and professionals (from industry and public authorities) from all kinds of backgrounds, research fields and interests, holding at least a Master’s degree or equivalent, on a first come first served basis.

The aim of the course is to provide participants with advanced training on recent and future developments in seaports and hinterland connections, and have them obtain improved skills and knowledge to advance their careers. Each course topic will be conceptually introduced by TransportNET professors, and subsequently also be illustrated by high-level port business practitioners. Specific topics dealt with during the course week are:

·         Port typology, actors and economic framework

·         Port traffic forecasting

·         Port infrastructure and operations finance

·         Port policy

·         Port innovation strategies

·         Port hinterland strategies

The course will feature a port of Antwerp technical excursion on 6 May in the afternoon, so as to give participants an immediate impression of latest business developments, typical investment projects, green innovation initiatives, etc.

Course participants will get a participation certificate, and also a credit certificate upon successful completion of the paper assignments to be submitted in due time after the course. The course values 6 ECTS credits for doctoral programs for those who combine the course with participation to the SIGA2 conference on 11 and 12 May in Antwerp. For those only completing the paper assignment based on the course days, the course values 3 ECTS credits.

Full information, tariffs and registration possibilities are available through the course page. Registration also involves submitting a CV by 30 April 2015. The maximum number of attendants is limited.

A combined course + conference participation package is offered at a rate of €850. Registration for this package is due through this webpage, indicating that also the course will be followed.