To meet the decarbonisation targets for maritime transport, a sectoral energy transition is required. This report presents an overview of the maritime energy transition in the Nordics, from several perspectives. First, governmental strategies, policies, regulations and supporting schemes are reviewed, followed by a description of the Nordic ship traffic, and scenarios for the future maritime fuel mix.

The recent uptakes of novel energy carriers and alternative fuels, in terms of production, infrastructure and end-use, are summarised, as well as previous studies on Nordic sectoral strongholds. Emerging markets influencing the maritime sector are touched upon, such as offshore wind, digitalisation, and carbon capture.

Based on this overview, and drawing on scientific literature, Nordic strongholds were assessed through a sectoral innovation systems analysis. On this basis, a set of policy recommendations is provided.