On May 11th Erasmus Smart Port Rotterdam (ESPR) wrapped up a successful visit to China with a small seminar at the Hong Kong Polytechnical University.
ESPR is a new multi-disciplinary institute for maritime and port-related studies of the Erasmus University Rotterdam. Its ambition is to be recognized worldwide as a ‘thought leader’, and to do so by engaging in selective international research partnerships. Last year an MoU was signed with the Shanghai International Shipping Institute (SISI). This time NOST and the Netherlands Business Support Office in Dalian arranged visits to institutes in Beijing and Dalian.
The seminar in Hong Kong was jointly organized by the PolyU department of Logistics and Maritime Studies and held at the CY Tung International Centre for Maritime Studies. Han Wesseling, who is stationed in Guangzhou but is also covering Hong Kong, attended on behalf of NOST. Besides the general research agenda of ESPR, Academic Director Rob Zuidwijk also gave in-depth discussions of research topics such as the deployment of hinterland transport modes and the design of intermodal network services. These technical discussions struck a chord with the PolyU participants and provided a good starting point for further collaboration. As a major logistics hub, Hong Kong naturally shares many issues with the port city of Rotterdam.
At the end of May the PolyU is to host the International Forum on Shipping, Ports and Airports, where ESPR Professor Hercules Haralambides is a featured keynote speaker.