Towards Green & Efficient Maritime Cluster in Central Baltic Sea Region

The SmartComp project is going on full speed and the first research report Maritime cluster analysis on the Central Baltic region was published in December 2012. The report concludes that maritime clusters of the Central Baltic region (CBR) operate rather separately and mostly compete with each other, even though they are in the face of common challenges and the toughest competitors can be found in the gigantic clusters in the Far East.

“To keep one step ahead, both the cluster companies and political quarters have to recognize the preconditions of competitiveness – mutual cooperation and resources for further development. Competitiveness cannot be maintained without continuous investments,” says Project Researcher Eini Laaksonen from the Pan‐European Institute of the University of Turku, Finland, the Leader of the SmartComp research team.

Since the bid for a a multi-million euro luxury cruise ship was lost to a sister shipyard in France, the future of the Finnish shipbuilding industry has been very much on the agenda in Finland. It is clear that there is interest towards the input that SmartComp can bring to the field.

The project is aiming at increasing the networking between academia, businesses and public sector in the Central Baltic region maritime clusters. In February, two events under the title Towards Green & Efficient Maritime Cluster in Central Baltic Sea Region will take place in Tallinn to contribute to this aim - a Policy Development Roundtable (12 February) and a Seminar (13 February). The events provide a unique opportunity for public, business and academic actors to discuss these current issues in the maritime field. You're welcome to join us!

New opportunities for the Central Baltic maritime cluster

The Baltic Sea is one of the busiest seas in the world, and it has a huge impact on the Central Baltic Sea economy and society. Tightened competition and new legal requirements challenge the competitiveness of the Central Baltic marine cluster, which has always been sensitive to economic ups and downs. When simultaneously markets like Russia or Asia are eager to create a business-friendly environment, there is a strong need for new openings in the Central Baltic Sea Region.

There is no doubt that the competitiveness of the Central Baltic Region marine cluster, containing Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Sweden, has to be improved. However, when doing this, the state of our common Baltic Sea should not be compromised. Marine traffic is an environmentally friendly means of transport, but as the volumes increase, it could also mean increased effects on health and environment. These include e.g. the increased risk of accidents and oil spills, as well as growing greenhouse gas emissions. Solutions need to be sought from smart and environmentally sustainable growth.

Led by UBC Commission on Environment and part-funded by the Central Baltic INTERREG IV A Programme, the SmartComp project supports smart, environmentally sustainable growth and cooperation of the Central Baltic Region marine cluster. This will be done through triple helix cooperation, meaning that maritime cluster businesses, the public sector and universities are encouraged to cooperate across borders in Finland, Estonia and Latvia.

The project research team will provide new information about the current state and future scenarios of the Central Baltic Region maritime cluster. The research reports recognize the problematic areas and introduce best practices and smart business models, in order to help adopting new solutions in the Central Baltic. The results will also be the basis for the triple helix activities in the project, including consulting days for business representatives and policy recommendations.

 The first project research report, analysing the current state of the Central Baltic maritime cluster is expected to come out in December. Find out more on the project website at www.cb-smartcomp.eu!

 

Text: Kirsi-Marja Lonkila