About the chair

Dennie Lockefeer is and was highly appreciated within the port community and in particular in the world of inland navigation for his insights and expertise. He often collaborated with the Port of Antwerp, the Flemish Government, the University of Antwerp and so many other institutions. He was often consulted by academics and was frequently asked to share his knowledge with students and professors.

Under the impulse of Professor Christa Sys, the idea arose to establish a chair: “I launched a call to set up a chair for fundamental research at the University of Antwerp on intermodal transport in memory of Dennie. This was immediately followed up within and outside the port community. In this way Dennie rightly continues to exist and is given the honor to which he is entitled. Something that he, but certainly also his wife Bernadette and his three daughters Kyra, Naomi and Eline will be extremely proud of. ”

Prof. Christa Sys acts together with Prof. Thierry Vanelslander as the promoters of the “Dennie Lockefeer Chair”.

UAntwerpen and partners continue to work on inland navigation

Dennie Lockefeer Chair extended by two years

The Dennie Lockefeer Chair was established in 2019 by the Antwerp University Fund after Dennie Lockefeer, a resounding name in the maritime sector with a big heart for inland navigation, passed away at the age of 42. The goal of the chair was to continue to share knowledge about maritime logistics and work on future-oriented solutions to lead our inland navigation into a climate of innovation, research and further development.

The chair succeeded, despite the challenges presented by corona. "Among other things, the chair financed the work of three young researchers, awarded three thesis prizes to five laureates, facilitated four scholarships for the Antwerp Inland Navigation School and, in addition to the inauguration, provided two lectures, a webinar, a book presentation, articles in newspapers and magazines and communication about inland navigation," said chair holder Katrien Storms. In this way, the chair reached not only the local port community but a broad international audience.

Valuable insights

For the next two years, Van Moer Logistics, where Dennie was employed, committed themselves as a golden partner. "The insights, results and solutions provided by the chair are valuable for all of us to further successfully build our future. In this way, we honour the memory of Dennie." said Jo Van Moer, CEO of Van Moer Logistics.

Unique moment to join the Dennie Lockefeer Chair!​

Are you interested in supporting the chair Dennie Lockefeer in one of the three formulas and actively contributing to the future of inland navigation? Then please make an appointment with chair holder Katrien Storms at katrien.storms@uantwerpen.be.

On January 11, our dear colleague and member of the executive committee, Dennie Lockefeer, passed away at the age of barely 42. It’s impossible to forget someone who left so much to remember.

Dennie's remarkable career started when he graduated from the Antwerp Maritime Academy. As captain of the long circumnavigation of gas tankers at Exmar, he sailed the wild waters before finding a new challenge at Cobelfret. Everything gained momentum when Dennie went on board at DP World, where he completed an impressive process in eight years. He was included in the GOLD Assignee Program in Dubai and ended his career at DP World Intermodal as General Manager. In the summer of 2013, Dennie came ashore at Van Moer Logistics as Chief Commercial Officer. He played a vital role in the growth of our company. In 2018, he passed on CCO's torch and fulfilled his calling as Managing Director of Port & Intermodal Logistics. In addition, he was also co-founder of Euroshipping, and Dennie was a member of the Port + board of directors and the advisory board of the VIL.

Dennie was highly appreciated in the port community and especially in the world of inland navigation for his insights and expertise. He often collaborated with the Port of Antwerp, the Flemish Government, the University of Antwerp, and many other institutions. He was often consulted by academics and was frequently asked to share his knowledge with students and professors. Therefore, Professor Christa Sys launched a call to establish a chair for fundamental research in intermodal transport with his name at the University of Antwerp in memory of Dennie. In this way, Dennie rightly continues to exist and is given the honour to which he is entitled. Something that he, but certainly also his wife Bernadette, and his three princesses, Kyra, Naomi and Eline, will be incredibly proud of.