Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), together with Delft University of Technology (TU-Delft) will bring the 2021 IAME conference to one of the main gateways to Europe. With great enthusiasm Erasmus University, Rotterdam and TU-Delft join forces and team up with the relevant partners in the Rotterdam region to organize an outstanding conference of high academic quality with the following theme: Accelerating Transitions in Ports and Shipping. This theme mirrors the context in which ports and shipping are developing: a context of major and fast-developing external trends asking for major transitions. Innovations, good research, and development of new grounded insights is key to such transitions as it enables governments and business leaders to make the right decisions.