The Downfall of the Port of Ostend in the 20Th Century: Causes and Consequences
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MASTER OF SCIENCE IN MARITIME SCIENCE MASTER DISSERTATION Academic year 2018 – 2019 The downfall of the port of Ostend in the 20th century: causes and consequences Maxime Brackeniers Number of words: 28,268 Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements Supervisor: Professor. dr. Frank Maes for the degree of: Master of Science in Maritime Science Assessor: Klaas Willaert Deze pagina is niet beschikbaar omdat ze persoonsgegevens bevat. Universiteitsbibliotheek Gent, 2021. This page is not available because it contains personal information. Ghent Universit , Librar , 2021. Acknowledgments In this preface I would like to thank everyone who helped me making this master dissertation possible. First of all I would like to acknowledge Prof. dr. Frank Maes for his guidance and advice throughout the writing of this master dissertation. Secondly, I would also like to thank Prof. dr. Christian Koninckx and Prof. dr. emeritus. Georges Allaert for their time and helpful advice. Thirdly, I would like to thank my family and friends for the support and guidance throughout the writing of this master dissertation. ii Table of content Permission ................................................................................................................ i Acknowledgments ................................................................................................... ii Introduction .............................................................................................................. v Glossary of abbreviations ...................................................................................... viii List of tables ........................................................................................................... ix List of figures .......................................................................................................... xi 1. A better understanding of the importance of the Belgian ports ................... 1 1.1. Importance of Belgian ports ....................................................................... 1 2. The history of the port of Ostend ................................................................ 4 2.1. The early period (800 AD. – 1600 AD.) ...................................................... 4 2.2. Ostend in the 17th and 18th century .......................................................... 5 2.3. Ostend in the 19th and the first half of the 20th century ............................. 8 2.4. Conclusion ............................................................................................... 10 3. Different causes for the decline of the port of Ostend in the 20th century . 11 3.1. The emergence of Zeebrugge as a port and its impact on the goods handled in the port of Ostend ................................................................................. 11 3.1.1. History of the port of Zeebrugge ............................................................... 11 3.1.2. A comparison between the evolution of the port of Zeebrugge and the port of Ostend in figures ............................................................................................... 13 3.1.3. Important investments done in the port of Zeebrugge during the second half of the 20th century .......................................................................................... 19 3.1.4. Important investments done in the port of Ostend during the second half of the 20th century ..................................................................................................... 22 3.1.5. The favourable conditions of the port of Zeebrugge over the port of Ostend 25 3.1.6. Conclusion ............................................................................................... 27 3.2. Shifting of the naval base from the port of Ostend to the port of Zeebrugge 29 3.2.1. History of the Belgian Royal Marine and its connection with the port of Ostend 29 3.2.2. Importance of the Belgian marine in the port of Ostend during the last decade of the 20th century .................................................................................... 31 3.2.3. Possible impact of the shift of the naval base from the port of Ostend to the port of Zeebrugge .................................................................................................. 34 3.2.4. Conclusion ............................................................................................... 35 3.3. The decline of the Belgian fishing industry and the disappearance of Ostend as the main fishing port of Belgium ............................................................ 36 3.3.1. History of the Belgian fishing industry ....................................................... 36 3.3.2. The decline of the Belgian fishing industry ............................................... 38 3.3.3. The impact of the decline of the Belgian fishing industry on the port of Ostend 41 3.3.4. Conclusion ............................................................................................... 46 iii 3.4. The downfall of the RMT .......................................................................... 48 3.4.1. The history of the Ostend-Dover line ........................................................ 48 3.4.2. The downfall of the RMT .......................................................................... 50 3.4.3. The impact of the downfall of the RMT on the port of Ostend ................... 54 3.4.3.1. The impact of the RMT on the port of Ostend during the period from 1991 until 1998 ................................................................................................. 54 3.4.3.2. The impact of the abolishment of the RMT in 1997 on the port of Ostend during the period from 1997 until 2002 ..................................................... 56 3.4.4. Conclusion ............................................................................................... 60 4. A glance at the future............................................................................................. 62 4.1. The evolution of the port of Ostend since the end of the 20th century .............. 62 5. Final conclusion ..................................................................................................... 65 6. Reference list ........................................................................................................ 66 iv Introduction Since their existence, ports have always been important gateways for the exchange of goods, people and ideas. These exchanges have determined the importance that specific regions have attained in world history throughout time by creating contacts with foreign societies (Antunes, 2010). Thus, it can be said that ports have been centres of commerce for both Coastal states and certain land bound countries. Regardless of the harbour’s main marine activity, ships are obliged to leave from one port and arrive at the same or another port. Thus, ports can be perceived as entry and exit points of a certain country. The reason for entering or leaving a port can differ however. Common reasons are fishing, trading, cruising or even to conduct a war (Koninckx & Serruys, 2016). These reasons are showing that ports can play an important role in the long-term growth of a state and in the regional development of a region. Despite the fact that ports conduct an important role in the economy of a country and the fact that ports are often seen as connection points with overseas countries, these ports can still face periods of decline in their existence. The decline of ports can be caused by multiple macroeconomic or microeconomic factors or by a confluence of factors which may for example depend on the current economic situation of a country or on the competition between ports. This master dissertation examines the decline of the port of Ostend in the 20th century and the main causes and consequences of this decline. The focus will primarily be put on the last three decades of the 20th century, since the decline was at its peak during this period. To find an answer on our research, the decline of Ostend in the 20th century will be proven by asking different questions. The questions are as follows: - Can the emergence of the port of Zeebrugge have had an impact on the decline of the port of Ostend in the 20th century? - Can the shifting of the naval base from the port of Ostend to the port of Zeebrugge have had an impact on the decline of the port of Ostend in the 20th century? - Can the decline of the Belgian fishing industry have had an impact on the decline of the port of Ostend in the 20th century? - Can the abolishment of the Regie voor Maritiem Transport have had an impact on the decline of the port of Ostend in the 20th century? To provide an answer to the main research question, a qualitative research has been used, but for some assumptions numbers and figures are used. The information is gathered from sources obtained from the internet, libraries, the archive of Ostend, interviews with Prof. dr. emeritus. Georges Allaert and Prof. dr. emeritus. Christian Koninckx and a presentation given by Jan Allaert, commercial director of the port of Ostend. v This master dissertation will consist out of four chapters and each of these chapters will handle a specific subject. By creating certain chapters, it will be easier to give an answer to the research question in a structured and well-ordered way. In the first chapter “A better understanding of the Belgian ports”, the definition of the word “seaport” that will be used throughout