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

Preface v
PREFACE
My first publication on the port of Rotterdam is a work made in primary school, now about 19
years ago. It was hardly scientific, even though in the last chapter ‘interview with a pilot’, I
used the same research technique as I used in this PhD thesis. Perhaps my grandfather,
who lived in Rotterdam a large part of his life and had a vivid interest in the port, nurtured my
interest for ports. Or perhaps my interest in ports was inherited from my father, who
consulted internationally in the field of ports and transportation. In any case, I started writing
about ports early. In secondary school, I also wrote an essay on the port of Rotterdam. It
recommends a strategy to diversify the port that somehow echoes in this PhD. At university,
I chose to specialize in transport, port and regional economics and wrote several papers on
the port of Rotterdam. So I think it is fair to say that I am a port specialist by now.
After finishing my studies, I had the opportunity to become involved in two initiatives to build-
up something from the start. Arjen van Klink offered me a job at the University with a newly
started venture to attract and carry out externally funded research (ETECA) and later I had
the opportunity to work together with prof. Harry Welters to develop the chair port
economics. His ability to care for and act in the interests of others is rather unique in the
university environment, and perhaps any working environment. I hope his example has
‘spilled-over’ to some extent to me.
I also hope we can continue to build a chair in port economics that is valued both by the
Erasmus University and by the port community. In this respect, I would like to thank the
Rotterdam Municipal Port Authority and the port association Deltalinqs for their support to
the chair port economics. I hope they can be satisfied with this PhD and look forward to
future cooperation.
After about three years of research an idea for a PhD thesis started to materialize. The
appointment of Bart Nooteboom as professor in ‘Organizational Dynamics’ at Erasmus
University was a great opportunity for me, since from his articles it was clear for me that his
theoretical knowledge on clusters is unique in the Netherlands. I am very grateful for his
willingness to supervise my PhD. I remember thinking after the first joint meeting with prof.
Nooteboom and prof. Welters over breakfast in Scheveningen ‘if you mess it up now, you
only have yourself to blame, because the supervision team is perfect’. This first impression