Maritime cleantech entrepreneurship in Frederikshavn, Denmark: Exploring the role of intermediaries on information and competence provision

The demand on maritime cleantech may increase as result new regulations on maritime source air pollutants by International Maritime Organization and the European Union. As result, the demands will also increase for ship retrofit and cleantech installations. Such opportunities may be triggered by frontrunner shipyards and its interlinked maritime-servicing clusters and networks. Yet, in order to exploit these opportunities, conventional business literature usually refers to information availability and competence building. Yet, in the blossoming literature of eco-entrepreneurship both topics are barely discussed.

This paper aims to fill this knowledge gap by studying the case of Frederikshavn district in Northern Denmark. This district can be considered as a paradigmatic case, from which generalizations can be made to other harbors in Western Europe. The article departs from the following research question:

What is the current role of brokers and intermediaries in facilitating information concerning green shipping practices?

The paper's main argument is that information availability, facilitated by public and private networks is a requirement for potential maritime cleantech eco-entrepreneurship. In this article, eco-entrepreneurship is understood as offering new services and products (either by an existing firm or by a start-up). Such services and products may address an environmental externality. The following are the case study's main results:

- Two broker/intermediaries contribute to information flow between information rich domains (maritime associations, conferences, etc) to end users: Frederikshavn's district government (Kommune) and Frederikshavn Business Council (Ehrvervshus Nord).

- "Information" in the Frederikshavn's context implies: new shipping environmental regulations, air and water pollution control technology specifications. Besides, information encompasses maritime staff competences on how to service new air emission control technology (e.g. scrubbers, SCR, etc...), as well as alternative energy sources engines (e.g. LNG, hydrogen fuel cells).

The case may provide insights on how eco-entrepreneurial opportunities are recognized with intermediaries? support. According to Baron (2010, 124) a key question in entrepreneurial recognition is 'Why are some people and not others able to discover specific opportunities'? This author considers that an answer to this question resides in access to and best use of information. Furthermore, access to information can result from active search, alertness to opportunities, and entrepreneur's previous experience. The Frederikshavn case study may add a fourth element: access to information can result from the facilitation provided by intermediaries.