Understanding the Interplay of Barriers and Facilitators in Port Decarbonisation: Evidence from the Nordic-Baltic Region

Estonian Maritime Academy, Tallinn University of Technology, Kopli 101, 11712 Tallinn, Estonia

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Abstract

This study examines the barriers and facilitators shaping the energy transition in ports within the Nordic-Baltic region — a context characterised by notable asymmetries between Nordic and Baltic ports in institutional capacity, infrastructure maturity, and economic conditions. Using a qualitative expert focus group with 15 stakeholders from academia, policy, and industry across four countries, and analysed through thematic analysis, the findings identify two interrelated dimensions: enabling factors (regulatory frameworks, market-based mechanisms, technological advancements, and stakeholder collaboration) and constraining conditions (economic constraints, policy instability, technological uncertainty, infrastructure limitations, and workforce challenges). Critically, these factors interact dynamically — regulatory pressure drives change, yet policy instability undermines it; technological innovation creates opportunity, yet financial risk delays adoption. The study contributes region-specific empirical evidence to a literature that has largely overlooked Nordic-Baltic heterogeneity, and offers practical implications for differentiated policy support across the region.