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Sailing to Zero in different Waters - A Comparative analysis of zero-carbon technology adoption within Ro-Pax ferry shipping in the Baltic and the Mediterranean Seas

Ehrenberg, Markus Jakob Gustaf LU (2025) In IIIEE Master Thesis IMEM01 20251
The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics
Abstract
Decarbonization within the maritime sector advances slowly, especially the adoption of zero-
carbon technologies, despite increasing regulatory pressure and mounting climate change
awareness. Ro-Pax ferry shipping, where vessels operate at high frequencies along designated
routes with fixed schedules, functions as a key factor in regional European transport and
produces significant greenhouse gas emissions, thus making it an essential area to study for
maritime sustainability transitions. In this thesis, it is studied why Ro-Pax ferry incumbents in
the Baltic and Mediterranean have adopted zero-carbon technologies at varying rates. To answer
this, this study aims to identify the pressures that drive or prevent adoption in both... (More)
Decarbonization within the maritime sector advances slowly, especially the adoption of zero-
carbon technologies, despite increasing regulatory pressure and mounting climate change
awareness. Ro-Pax ferry shipping, where vessels operate at high frequencies along designated
routes with fixed schedules, functions as a key factor in regional European transport and
produces significant greenhouse gas emissions, thus making it an essential area to study for
maritime sustainability transitions. In this thesis, it is studied why Ro-Pax ferry incumbents in
the Baltic and Mediterranean have adopted zero-carbon technologies at varying rates. To answer
this, this study aims to identify the pressures that drive or prevent adoption in both regions, to
analyze how incumbents react to these pressures and to conduct a cross-regional comparison
of the pressures and reactions. For this, the study combines the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP)
and van Mossel et al.’s (2018) typology of incumbent behavior in transitions to conduct a
qualitative comparative case study that includes 9 semi-structured interviews and document
analysis. The study’s findings demonstrate that even though incumbents in both regions are
open to zero-carbon technologies, they face strong hindrances to adopting them, especially from
a lack in customer demand and high price competition. However, differences in current and
historical infrastructure availability and regulatory histories have led to Baltic incumbents having
a higher adoption rate of zero-carbon technologies. Incumbent progress in the Mediterranean
is further hampered by felt uncertainties around policies and fuel availability together with
insufficient infrastructure development. Furthermore, the findings indicate that firm size can
affect behavioral modes, as small companies tend to adopt proactive, differentiation-oriented
behavior regarding sustainability and zero-carbon technologies. This study demonstrates that
regional conditions instead of differences in incumbent willingness determine adoption rates,
concluding that policies with a regional focus, infrastructure development and customer
demand stimulation are required to speed up decarbonization of the Ro-Pax ferry sector. Future
research should investigate the role of small incumbents in transitions and help develop better
strategies to aid them. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Ehrenberg, Markus Jakob Gustaf LU
supervisor
organization
course
IMEM01 20251
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Ro-Pax sector, zero-carbon technologies, sustainability transition, multi-level perspective, mediterranean sea region, baltic sea region
publication/series
IIIEE Master Thesis
report number
2025:14
ISSN
1401-9191
language
English
id
9209325
date added to LUP
2025-08-12 14:04:25
date last changed
2025-08-12 14:04:25
@misc{9209325,
  abstract     = {{Decarbonization within the maritime sector advances slowly, especially the adoption of zero-
carbon technologies, despite increasing regulatory pressure and mounting climate change
awareness. Ro-Pax ferry shipping, where vessels operate at high frequencies along designated
routes with fixed schedules, functions as a key factor in regional European transport and
produces significant greenhouse gas emissions, thus making it an essential area to study for
maritime sustainability transitions. In this thesis, it is studied why Ro-Pax ferry incumbents in
the Baltic and Mediterranean have adopted zero-carbon technologies at varying rates. To answer
this, this study aims to identify the pressures that drive or prevent adoption in both regions, to
analyze how incumbents react to these pressures and to conduct a cross-regional comparison
of the pressures and reactions. For this, the study combines the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP)
and van Mossel et al.’s (2018) typology of incumbent behavior in transitions to conduct a
qualitative comparative case study that includes 9 semi-structured interviews and document
analysis. The study’s findings demonstrate that even though incumbents in both regions are
open to zero-carbon technologies, they face strong hindrances to adopting them, especially from
a lack in customer demand and high price competition. However, differences in current and
historical infrastructure availability and regulatory histories have led to Baltic incumbents having
a higher adoption rate of zero-carbon technologies. Incumbent progress in the Mediterranean
is further hampered by felt uncertainties around policies and fuel availability together with
insufficient infrastructure development. Furthermore, the findings indicate that firm size can
affect behavioral modes, as small companies tend to adopt proactive, differentiation-oriented
behavior regarding sustainability and zero-carbon technologies. This study demonstrates that
regional conditions instead of differences in incumbent willingness determine adoption rates,
concluding that policies with a regional focus, infrastructure development and customer
demand stimulation are required to speed up decarbonization of the Ro-Pax ferry sector. Future
research should investigate the role of small incumbents in transitions and help develop better
strategies to aid them.}},
  author       = {{Ehrenberg, Markus Jakob Gustaf}},
  issn         = {{1401-9191}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  series       = {{IIIEE Master Thesis}},
  title        = {{Sailing to Zero in different Waters - A Comparative analysis of zero-carbon technology adoption within Ro-Pax ferry shipping in the Baltic and the Mediterranean Seas}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}