Enes Kocak wins PSA Award
“Bringing the port closer to our youth”
Enes Kocak, a final-year Supply Chain Management student at Karel de Grote University College in Antwerp, is the winner of the PSA Award 2025. Enes impressed the jury with his bachelor thesis titled ‘Kanal Istanbul: Megaproject or Mega-disaster'. Student Maxim Cap won the public’s choice award with his thesis ‘TCO Analysis of Trucks Running on Different Types of Fuels'.
Since the 1970s, PSA—then known as the Laureaten Prijs Noord Natie—has been awarding the PSA Award to final-year Bachelor Supply Chain Management students at Karel de Grote University College (KdG) in Antwerp. Through this tradition, PSA aims not only to support young talent in their professional development but also to bring the port and its crucial role in the logistics sector closer to our youth.
Four Finalists
First, the best bachelor theses are selected by KdG. Then, a jury consisting of lecturers from the university college and PSA staff chooses the best thesis. On Thursday, June 19, four finalists—Farah Boumaaza, Maxim Cap, Britt De Bruyn, and Enes Kocak—competed for the PSA Award.
Although the differences were small, the jury ultimately selected Enes Kocak’s thesis. His work, ‘Kanal Istanbul: Megaproject or Mega-disaster,’ investigates the planned canal in Istanbul and its ecological, economic, geopolitical, and political impact on Turkey, as well as the logistical consequences for the wider region.
“I didn’t expect to win because I thought no one would know the topic,” says Enes. “But that was exactly why I chose it: I wanted to share insights on a subject barely explored in Belgium. I also want to sincerely congratulate the other finalists—we all deserved to win.”
Catharinaplaat
The PSA Award was presented during a special boat trip aboard the Flandria vessel Catharinaplaat. As the ship sailed past the MPET, Europa Terminal, and Noordzee Terminal, young talents were celebrated.
“Young people play a crucial role in the future of the maritime and logistics sector,” says Jan Diels, Manager Talent Acquisition at PSA. “With this award, we want not only to recognize their potential but also to introduce them to our operations in a unique way. By literally bringing them on board and close to our terminals, we show who we are and what we stand for.”
Katleen De Naeyer, Head of Program at Karel de Grote University College, adds: “The day of the PSA Award is always a highlight, and this year even the weather was on our side—it was an edition to be proud of. The quality of the theses was exceptionally high again, making the choice of a winner anything but easy. Congratulations to all the students! We highly value our long-standing partnership with PSA. Thanks to such collaborations, we can prepare our students optimally for the challenges of the real working world.”
Kim Vandenbroucke
