Innovation and Patenting within Containerized Liner Shipping

Abstract

Increasingly, in many industries, companies commercialize their technology and innovations through patenting to gain an edge over competition. Within the maritime sector, while literature on innovation is expanding, issues related to the importance of intangible assets, such as patenting, for the participant firms of the industry remain unaddressed. Utilizing innovational frameworks and patent data withdrawn from European Patent Organization’s (EPO’s) database, the aim of this paper is to investigate the innovative level, in terms of patents granted, of incumbent market actors in liner shipping. Apart from patent counts, this exercise sheds light on the areas to which these patents apply, providing a classification while also investigating additional attributes which relate to patent citations, investors and applicants. Although results indicate a varying degree of utilization of the patenting system amongst liner carriers, they nonetheless affirm to some extent that knowledge creation is a valuable tool in the arsenal of some liner carriers, and that patenting is one of the various means utilized to enhance their market position and achieve a sustained competitive advantage. In addition, findings suggest that liner carriers’ innovative efforts have, based on the forward citations received, some significance, while they focus primarily the development of patented technologies which enhance the operational efficiency of their vessels. In this respect, the investigation undertaken sheds some light and provides a novel perspective on understanding the behaviour and innovative propensity of liner shipping companies.

Evaluating Competitiveness of Container Shipping Operators in the Sustainability and Digitalization Era

“…This questionnaire was distributed to employees of globally renowned shipping companies, yielding the primary influencing factors on the international competitiveness of ports from the perspective of shipping enterprises [14]. Constantinos Chlomoudis et al concluded that enhancing innovation capabilities, as evidenced by patents and other innovative strengths of liner shipping companies, is a crucial pathway to improving corporate competitiveness [15].…”

Inventive Activity for Climate Change Mitigation: An Insight into the Maritime Industry

“…The research conducted so far focuses on several research areas, such as ship power systems [60] analysed from several distinct perspectives, including, without limitation, the perspective of technological competitiveness of ship integrated power system enterprises [61] or the trends and development of those systems in China [62]. Other studies seek solutions to such research problems as the assessment of patent activity of liner shipping companies [63], technological competitiveness of enterprises [61], corporate sustainability (in a broad sense) in shipping companies [64] and autonomous ships [65,66]. None of the papers referred to above examines the technologies or applications for the mitigation or adaptation against climate change in the maritime industry.…”