ABSTRACT DEADLINE EXTENDED to 20 November 2014!

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.

New features :

-          Draft program structure online

-          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 participants.

Abstract submission is possible through the abstract submission page till 15 November 2014.

The conference will be open to free submissions of any interested academic or business responsible active in the maritime and port field. Abstracts should be about one page long, according to a fixed online template, including full affiliation and should deal with a topic that can be considered to be at current a key development in the port and maritime business, either at management, operational or policy level. Specific topics can be either in the field of maritime, port or hinterland economics, environmental issues, maritime engineering, investment and finance, cost optimisation, chain optimisation, human resources and employment and legal issues. From the conference, a selection of papers will be made for joint publication in a number of scientific journals.

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

• Finished research and as well ‘research in process’ can be presented and discussed;
• A meeting between scientists and practitioners;
• 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.

As compared to the two previous editions, the conference has five additional features:

• Explicit attention will be devoted to PhD researchers, who will get the chance to have their presentations in dedicated sessions with specific academic support;
• Dedicated scientific discussants will be selected for each paper;
• Each half day of the conference will feature a thematic top keynote speaker, from academia as well as from the port and maritime industry;
• A selection of scientific papers will be made for dedicated journal special issues.
• A dedicated international scientific committee supervises the scientific conference preparation

The schedule of the conference is the following:

• Abstract: November 20, 2014
• Decision concerning abstract: January 20, 2015
• Full paper (if willing to be considered for journal publication): April 15, 2015

More practical details on the conference will be communicated upon registrationfirst half 2015. Conference participation amounts to €100 and will include access to all sessions, a technical visit, all public conference catering and library and other facilities.