In this paper, we develop exploratory research to improve the understanding of actual practices applied in the port industry relating to local communities’ perception measurement and public engagement, aiming at maintaining and fostering relationships with local communities. The application of such practices would allow port managing bodies to improve their strategic alignment with the needs and requirements of their local communities. To this end, we distributed a survey to North American port managing bodies and terminal operators. The survey, answered by 37 respondents, follows a structure defined by critical elements affecting stakeholder perceptions and acceptability in relation to a project or an ongoing business activity. The results disclose differences in social license to operate measurement and public engagement practices between port managing bodies and terminal operators. Furthermore, follow-up interviews were conducted with eight port managing bodies in order to capture the value added and the barriers to engage with local communities. Finally, the study enables benchmarking possibilities both within the sample and on a global level, giving an indication and assessment of the respondents’ competitive positions regarding stakeholder perceptions, communication, and engagement practices, and the steps to be taken in order to strengthen any strategic and competitive state.

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The expansion of port hubs in densely populated areas increasingly causes headwind. Besides the environmental harm, opponents also claim that port growth in terms of traffic and the necessary capacity to handle cargo, does no longer generate the proclaimed value added in their region. Based on two decades of research, value added measures, including wages, indicated that diversified port hubs should strategically focus on higher value added creating types of cargo. This paper presents new data for the Antwerp seaport, and a comparative analysis of direct port value added for north-western European seaports. By means of a bottom-up approach using the financial statements of 16 terminal operators, the value added of different types of traffic has been recalculated on 2015 data by transforming nominal tonnes into so-called "value tonnes". Interestingly, we find that value added coefficients of different cargo types have converged, compared to 1995 data, and that gateway containers represent almost twice as much value added than transhipment containers.