What is a maritime cluster?

The phenomenon of maritime clusters has spawned a rich body of scholarly work in the last fifteen years. Yet, the answer to one important question has remained elusive: what is a maritime cluster? This question is important because maritime clusters have rapidly become the focus of economic competitiveness policies promoted by both firms and policymakers. This study reviews research articles published over a 15-year period that investigate maritime clusters and derives three distinct definitions of a maritime cluster from them: an industrial complex, an agglomeration of interlinked industries, and a community-based network.