Strategy and hegemony in chemical tanker shipping, 1960-1985
Working paper
View/ Open
Date
2007-01Metadata
Show full item recordCollections
- Discussion papers (SAM) [662]
Abstract
The article analyses the emergence of chemical shipping as a specialized shipping
segment. In the 1950s and 1960s seaborne transport of chemicals was characterized by
rapid technological development. This was based on the introduction of parcel tankers,
which could carry chemicals in bulk. Norwegian shipping companies were among the
pioneers in this trade. By the early 1970s the two leading Norwegian companies had built
up substantial market shares, but were challenged by financially stronger British
companies. The article traces the background of the main companies involved in
chemical shipping in the 1970s. In particular, we look at their entry into the chemical
tanker market and the strategies that enabled them to capture a considerable share of the
trade. Two elements – fleet structure and timing – can explain why the Norwegian
companies managed to fend off the British challenge, and emerged in an even stronger position in the first half of the 1980s.
Publisher
Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration. Department of EconomicsSeries
Discussion paper2007:1