Study title

If the typical organization of container supply chains from China to Norway could be changed in the way described in this project proposal, this could reduce emissions from freight transport and reduce logistics costs for Norwegian retailers. It would also strengthen the competitive position of maritime service providers. The key issue is to explore what it would take to make more sea-containers go all the way from China to Norwegian retailers. Behind the SeaConAZ project are three strong Norwegian academic institutions with a high competence in freight transport and logistics. To further strengthen the analysis of these international container supply chains, five excellent European and Chinese institutions form part of the consortium. Apart from representing the best expertise on maritime logistics, these institutions also carry with them important networks of relevant actors for this particular supply chain. The Norwegian institutions involved will develop their competencies through the interaction with these highly skilled academic international environments, and the project will also build academic capacity through the financing of a PhD scholarship included in the proposal. The project is also closely linked to an EU FP7 Marie Curie network project (ENRICH). Ultimately, this building of academic quality and capacity will benefit the end users of these competencies, i.e. Norwegian retailers and maritime service providers.