Navigating Sustainable Shipping: Multi-scalar transition dynamics in the maritime shipping sector

Shifting away from fossil fuels in the maritime shipping sector promises to be even more difficult than turning an oil tanker. Anchored in the sustainability transitions literature, the overall aim of this thesis is to advance the current understanding of how multi-scalar top-down and bottom-up processes influence socio-technical change towards decarbonisation of the global maritime shipping sector. Under this broad aim, the thesis unpacks part of the complexity associated with replacing fossil fuels with more sustainable propulsion technologies at the global, national and community level. The thesis is based on three empirical studies exploring multi-scalar top-down and bottom-up influences on socio-technical change in the maritime shipping sector, a hard-to-abate sector, through document analysis, semi-structured interviews and (participant) observations. Multi-scalar top-down influences are explored in the form of international policy dynamics and the role of international and national policy in driving development and implementation of more sustainable propulsion technologies. Top-down influences are further explored in relation to how sectoral conditions associated with the shipping industry’s strong global regime influence the development of grassroots innovations in the maritime shipping sector. Furthermore, multi-scalar bottom-up influences are explored through examining re-scaling processes related to frontrunner member-states of the International Maritime Organisation driving implementation of stricter global GHG regulation, how niche technology developments enforce a new configuration of the national regime for Norwegian coastal shipping, as well as the emergence and development of sail cargo initiatives as nomadic grassroots innovations.

The aggregated findings highlight how the strong global regime sets the prerequisites for how socio-technical change can unfold in the maritime shipping sector, both regarding top-down as well as bottom-up processes. The high degree of institutionalisation of the global regime is currently a barrier for implementation of sufficient policy to drive socio-technical change, while simultaneously setting the conditions for development and diffusion of niche technologies and grassroots innovations, making the shipping sector resistant to change. In addition to contributing to further empirical insights regarding socio-technical change towards decarbonisation of the maritime shipping sector, this thesis makes two main conceptual contributions. First, the thesis introduces expanded conceptualisations of top-down and bottom-up transition dynamics that goes beyond the typical regime-niche distinction and assumptions regarding policy as a main driver of socio-technical change. Second, this thesis suggests a novel conceptualisation of a global regime-induced transition trajectory to enable further understanding of sustainability transitions in sectors with strong global regimes.