Maritime Clusters

The agglomeration of the maritime industry can be traced back to 5,000 years ago when shipping activities began. The evolution to maritime clusters occurred later when it became used as a regional development strategy. As a special branch of general industry cluster, a maritime cluster is important for regional economic development. It contributes to regional economy, improves its competitiveness and provides a platform for maritime companies to specialise and grow. A comprehensive understanding of maritime clusters is useful for policy makers to promote the development of national or regional economies. Research on maritime clusters has gone through many topics. This chapter provides a comprehensive introduction on the essential elements of maritime clusters. It includes six important aspects: the concept, types, determinants for its formation and development, relationship among the members in a cluster, the evolution of research method and the geographical distribution of existing studies. The aim of this chapter is to help future research on this topic and provide a reference in the policy formulation for maritime industry development.