Professor Ulla Tapaninen's blog
Global maritime regulation is crumbling. How will Finland’s foreign trade fare amidst geopolitical crises? The closure of the Strait of Hormuz is just one example of recent challenges. A month ago, eighteen leading maritime nations issued a warning that the rules-based system governing global shipping is eroding. This will have serious consequences for the maritime … Continue reading Uncertainty Is the New Normal in Maritime Transport
Finland’s fairway dues are high and inequitable; they do not incentivize shipping companies toward sustainabilty in terms of economics or emissions. What is a fairway due, and how much is it? In Finland, a fairway due is levied when a vessel arrives at a Finnish port from abroad or moves from one Finnish port to … Continue reading Do Finnish fairway dues steer shipping sector toward sustainability?
Megatrends are slow-moving, large-scale global shifts that shape our future. They can often be foreseen, allowing us to consider their implications for our own operations. They may present threats to mitigate or opportunities to take. By preparing for them, a company ensures its future survival. After reading several recent reports in Megatrends, I have taken … Continue reading Megatrends in shipping
“The history of shipping is full of innovations that have raised some shipping companies and brought others down.” The maritime industry has undergone several revolutions over the centuries. Steam replaced wind as the main power source for ships a century ago, and internal combustion engines followed. Container shipping has been a huge revolution, speeding up … Continue reading Creative destruction
Do not worry if you forget your studies in working life: everything is different at work. However, this age-old wisdom does not apply at my home: we follow strict Just-In-Time principles in everything. After all, I have a Master of Science in Production Management as my basic education. Production plant location One of the most … Continue reading LEAN management in the household
The green transition of shipping is not a new thing. As early as 1997, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) began a discussion on reducing carbon dioxide emissions from shipping. The first regulation regulating the energy consumption of new ships, called EEDI, came into force in 2011. Since then, the IMO's regulations for reducing greenhouse gases … Continue reading The green transition of maritime transport, where are we now?
Regional emission targets effectively guide development towards low emissions My doctoral student Riina Otsason defended her thesis on reducing carbon emissions from ships at Tallinn University of Technology just before Midsummer. Her case study Environmental and Techno-Economic Assessment of Decarbonization Pathways for Ships Below 5,000 GT focused on urban and archipelago shipping vessels and other … Continue reading Smaller ships are already undergoing significant changes
Hormuz, the Red Sea, the Black Sea and the Baltic are exposing the gap between maritime law and maritime reality, write Dr Deniece Aiken and Professor Ulla Tapaninen. The crises in Hormuz, the Red Sea, the Black Sea and the Baltic are not only tests of shipping resilience. They are tests of whether international maritime … Continue reading When the sea stops being free
