The Performance of Seaport Clusters - RePub - Erasmus Universiteit ...

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8.4 The relevant port cluster region
The Performance of Seaport Clusters
Cargo handling is located in the primary port area (quays and terminals). Other cluster
activities are not necessarily located in the primary port area. For instance, some services
are located in the central business district of the port city and distribution activities near
transport infrastructure to the hinterland. Van Klink (1995) shows that other transport nodes
and logistics zones are functionally strongly related to the port. Thus, the relevant cluster
region of the port is larger than the primary port area.
The size and structure of the relevant port region differs between ports. The concept of a
relevant region implies that beyond a certain distance, municipalities are not included in the
relevant port region. The relevant region includes municipalities that meet two conditions: 1)
in the proximity of the seaport, and 2) a high concentration of port related activities. The
relevant region generally includes:
• The primary port area.
• The business district of the port city (see Slack 1988).
• Secondary nodes in the proximity of the primary seaport (see van Klink 1995).
• Municipalities in the vicinity of the port with a concentration of port service activities.
8.5 The cluster population and port region in Rotterdam
The cluster population of Rotterdam can be analyzed with the use of firm statistics
registered by the Chambers of Commerce in the Netherlands. Registration is obligatory, so
all firms are included in this dataset. Some of the firms in the dataset are merely ‘legal
entities’ created for fiscal reasons. Therefore the number of ‘real’ firms is overestimated.
This shortcoming is not important for the purposes of this study, because the general picture
of Rotterdam’s cluster is fairly reliable.