Reduction of GHG emissions from ships: evaluation of inter-company R&D cooperation models in the case of Hapag-Lloyd

Carsten Willer and Max Johns ()
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Carsten Willer: HSBA – Hamburg School of Business Administration
Max Johns: HSBA – Hamburg School of Business Administration

Journal of Shipping and Trade, 2021, vol. 6, issue 1, 1-25

Abstract: Abstract Decarbonization provides a crucial challenge for the maritime industry, resulting in growing concerns about how to achieve the initial IMO strategy on reduction of GHG-emissions from ships. In this context, R&D cooperation has become an important domain for industrial practice, constituting a preeminent strategic framework and vital factor for actively shaping the industry’s development towards a sustainable future. Leading global liner-shipping companies emphasize the importance of R&D to surmount disruptive challenges. However, based on the variety of R&D cooperation models, it remains to be investigated how such collaborations should be configured. This paper seeks to address practical collaboration concepts by defining holistic requirements from a corporate perspective, which are subsequently matched with a portfolio of external stakeholders and cooperation configurations. For this process, a mixed-methods research design has been adopted, sourcing the required information from expert interviews with the primary stakeholder groups and culminating in the construction of two multi-criteria decision-making models to draw dynamic inferences. On this basis, econometric analysis suggests knowledge-based R&D cooperation models, and early-stage involvement of academic institutions and classification societies. This provides the framework for actively engaging in a variety of further technological test-phases in the future, to evaluate imminent GHG-reduction alternatives and perpetuate sustainable value creation. The research results empirically support theoretical literature on environmentally related R&D cooperation and contribute to the understanding of strategic partnerships. This adds economic robustness to a widely discussed topic.

Keywords: Decarbonization; Research cooperation; R&d; Sustainability; Liner shipping (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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DOI: 10.1186/s41072-021-00084-4

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