Resumen de How can cooperation and collaboration between two neighbouring ports within the oslofjord area become reality?
Environmental demands require more transport of goods transferred from land to sea, and the port potentially is a major contributor of such a transfer. This paper analyses the competitive environment of the container freight services provided by two neighbouring ports in the Oslofjord area: Larvik and Grenland. These two ports are currently competing, but as future demands tend to focus on regionalization, these ports may have a development potential for cooperation. The theoretical framework in the paper is composed of theories related to the issue of port cooperation and competition and the co-evolution of competing neighbouring ports, to understand possible mechanisms that influence decision making at the port authority level. The theoretical framework is the foundation for a further review of government documents, reports from research institutions and the industry and relevant material from the press. The study is performed as a qualitative case study and includes evidence from interviews of port authorities, focusing on port governance structure and inter-regional planning. The contribution of the paper is that it points at three possible approaches of cooperation: The first opportunity is to start a cooperative process is actively and open minded attend to the scenario workshops of the inter-regional planning program. Results achieved in these workshops are non-binding and informal. The second opportunity is to abandon the issue of substitutability and work for complementarity in planning and delivering various logistics services. The third opportunity to be seized is to approach the political environment and urge forward an idea of mutual investments in the two ports. The advantage is the creation of a regional, professional corporate model with long-term qualities to satisfy future requirements. The research question is: ‘How can general cooperation between neighbouring ports within the Oslo fjord area become reality? - A study of two neighbouring ports and the opportunities of future collaboration for mutual benefits’.
