Assessing innovation in transport: An application of the Technology Adoption (TechAdo) model to Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS)

Tiago Fonseca, Khanssa Lagdami and Jens-Uwe Schröder-Hinrichs

Transport Policy, 2021, vol. 114, issue C, 182-195

Abstract: Maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS) have received significant attention recently both by academia and industry to the point that the International Maritime Organization (IMO) started a regulatory scoping exercise. So far, most of the discussions have been solely focused on technical developments, thus overlooking the complex array of socio-economic and policy factors. This paper aims to fill this gap by comprehensively analyzing MASS development. We develop and apply a novel model of technology adoption (TechAdo) to holistically assess MASS as an innovation. By triangulating data from elite interviews, with work at the IMO and a systematic literature search, we show that MASS is in development but still in its infancy. Our analyses show that factors in the enabling environment (social acceptance, regulation, and governance), along with human capital, have been overlooked and need to be carefully considered by future research and policy.

Keywords: Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships; International Maritime Organization; Shipping industry; Technology adoption model; Innovation policy; Governance of technological innovation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:trapol:v:114:y:2021:i:c:p:182-195

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DOI: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2021.09.005

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