Source: adapted from Notteboom, T. (2006) Port regionalization in Antwerp, in: Notteboom, T. (ed.), Ports are more than piers, De Lloyd: Antwerp, pp. 307-328.
Seaports are the central nodes driving the dynamics of large logistics clusters. But at the same time, seaports rely heavily on inland ports to preserve their attractiveness. A major example of the formation of a gateway region in Western Europe is the Rhine-Scheldt Delta. The logistics zones in the Netherlands are mainly located in ports or around new or existing barge or rail terminals in the hinterland. Dordrecht and Moerdijk are important overflow locations for the port of Rotterdam. There are now large concentrations of logistics sites in and around the inner port of Liege, along the Geel-Hasselt-Genk axis and the Antwerp-Brussels axis, and in the Kortrijk/Lille border region. The existing geographical concentration of logistics sites has stimulated the development of inland terminals in these areas.