Editorial:
Ability and opportunity

Our industry’s opportunities depend on political settings
– the rest is up to its own ability.

Like most other human activities shipping hinges on two factors: Opportunity and ability.
For various reasons our region – the shores of the North Sea and the Baltic – have been the breeding ground for maritime communities which have dominated the seaborne trades for centuries. Today almost a quarter of the global merchant fleet is commercially controlled from our region, bearing token to the ability – the human assets – and the opportunity – the political factors – of our industry.
Much has to do with ability. To be a global player larger commercial structures are required to offer competitive transport solutions for customers, backed by crossborder alliances and ownership. Ability and competence are sought at home and on board to meet the more demanding requirements for safety, quality and security.
The other factor – opportunity – is largely a product of the political settings. The guidelines given by the EU for maritime policies has to some extent brought about similar operating conditions in our region, yet each country has the opportunity to brew its own cocktail of measures. A favourable maritime policy cannot generate value in itself, yet it is vital for levelling the field for commercial opportunity.
The interaction of ability and opportunity can produce impressive results, particularly in an entrepreneur-driven industry like ours. Entrepreneurs often emerge at certain stages in history, particularly as new opportunities arise during processes of structural change. The astounding expansion of the German fleet has a strong element of entrepreneurship at the break-through of containerization, fuelled by generous access to cheap equity.
Likewise, the lack of consistent and predictable conditions is bound to have a negative effect, if not else on motivation for longterm investment and risk-taking.
The Norwegian shipping community, which saw an almost unbelievable revival at the end of the 80s, sought a broader basis of alliances within the maritime cluster to induce a more industry-friendly policy. Despite the break-through of the tonnage tax in 1996, the battle for an ambitious national strategy must be considered lost; the nail in the coffin rendered by the center-right government last year by the decision to go for a neutral industry policy and thus shedding the idea of a competitive maritime policy.
In the future Norway will retain a number of leading niche operators – although several have been sold to foreign owners – but the ambition to remain a leading maritime nation has no longer any foundation.
It is the role of the political system to provide the fertile ground for opportunity.
The rest is up to ability – to competence and ambition amongst the players.

//Dag Bakka Jr
Editor

Back to SSG 8, 17 April