This Working Paper analyses the economic importance of the Belgian ports largely based on annual accounts data for the year 2017. As the years prior to 2017 have been described in earlier papers in the same series, the emphasis lies on the figures for 2017 and the developments between 2016 and 2017. After the stagnation in 2016, direct value added at the Belgian ports rose by 7.3% from € 18 052 million to € 19 368 million (current prices) or roughly 4.4% of Belgium's GDP. All ports, with the exception of the Liège port complex, contributed to value added growth at the Belgian ports. The ports of Antwerp and Ghent were the most important players. The biggest contributing sectors to value added growth were the chemical industry and, to a lesser extent, cargo handling and the metalworking industry. In 2017, indirect value added was around 82% of direct value added. Direct value added increased significantly at the ports of Ghent, Brussels and Antwerp, by 13.4%, 16.0% and 6.1% respectively. The increase by more than 3% of direct value added at the ports of Zeebrugge and Ostend was also substantial. Direct value added fell by 2.4% at the Liège port complex. After the decline between 2012 and 2015, direct employment at the Belgian ports was up for the second year in a row. Between 2016 and 2017, the number of direct full-time equivalent jobs rose by 0.8%, from 115 401 to 116 311 or approximately 2.8% of Belgium's total domestic employment. All ports, with the exception of Ostend and Brussels, contributed to employment growth at the Belgian ports. The ports of Antwerp and Ghent were the most important players. The biggest contributing sectors to employment growth were cargo handling and, to a lesser extent, the chemical industry. In 2017, indirect employment was around 120% of direct employment. Direct employment increased by around 1% at the ports of Antwerp, Ghent and Zeebrugge. Growth at the Liège port complex was more modest at 0.4%. The number of direct full-time equivalent jobs fell at the ports of Ostend and ...