Paper short abstract:

This research studies wind propulsion initiatives for commercial cargo transport. What are the discursive and substantive configurations of such projects across different geographies? How are they impacting the transition towards decarbonisation in the maritime transport sector?

Paper long abstract:

Without international shipping, the world economy as we know it would not exist: grappling with geopolitical tensions and major disruptions in the logistics of “just-in-time” delivery, the sector not only transports massive amounts of fossil fuels, but also contributes to nearly 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, which are expected to increase. While the sector’s current decarbonisation strategy predominantly focuses on energy efficiency measures and the uptake of alternative fuels, wind propulsion has been one forward-looking option employed by several companies.

The focus of this work is on wind propulsion initiatives for commercial cargo transport. The aim is to analyse the discursive and substantive configurations of such projects worldwide: values, organisational arrangements and financial situations. Why do they adopt a certain technology over another? This work also traces the emergence and historical development of wind propulsion as an alternative choice to conventional fossil-fuel based shipping. What does this reveal about the direction of a transition in the shipping sector?

Research on the sector’s energy transition employs in-depth and regionally focused case studies, or sociological accounts of alternative operating economies, with little attention to a comprehensive picture of wind propulsion development worldwide and overtime. To address this gap, this research employs socio-technical configuration analysis (STCA), an emerging methodology in sustainability transition literature, and qualitative comparative case study research. As a result, this work evaluates shifts and dynamics in the socio-technical configurations of wind propulsion systems across different geographies and analyses their transformative potential in light of decarbonisation pressures.