ABSTRACT

Extended gateways are seen by the Flanders Institute for Logistics as one of the solutions to alleviate congestion at major European container ports, especially Antwerp. The emergence of these extended gateways resonates with an ongoing clarification and elaboration of the hinterland concept in the literature on ports and shipping. In a conceptual vision of Flanders Logistics, the Antwerp-based Flanders Institute for Logistics has identified three levels of densities for these geographically clustered logistical facilities: first order (primary hot spot), second order (secondary hot spot) and emerging (runner up). They extend primarily in the Northern part of Flanders, in between the coastal region and the Campine (Kempen) region, and also near Brussels. This chapter shows that several extended gateways, some of the de facto type and other of the planned type, can be found in the Northern part of the country in between the Belgian border and Paris.