Ex-post evaluering av tilskuddsordningen for bærekraftig skipsbygging.

For the Directorate Top Sectors of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy (EZK), we evaluated the effectiveness and efficiency of the Sustainable Shipbuilding Subsidy Scheme (SDS scheme) for the period 2017-2023. The maritime industry and shipbuilding face a significant challenge to become more sustainable - legislation on this matter is currently changing rapidly - making innovations that promote sustainability in shipbuilding and maritime transport relatively more important. Ship buyers play a key role in this transition, as they will need to order and purchase more sustainable ships. Given the nature of the sector, this poses a challenge. It concerns capital goods with a long life cycle, and in the cyclical maritime industry, there is significant pressure on prices. This makes it difficult for shipowners to be the first to opt for ships that are more sustainable (and often more expensive to purchase). The target group of the SDS scheme includes Dutch shipyards used for new construction, conversion, and repair of ships, who incorporate demonstrably sustainable innovations into the ships they build or modify. As such, the SDS has a dual objective and aims to: 1) stimulate innovative sustainable technologies in shipbuilding and ship conversion, and: 2) thereby strengthen the international competitive position of the Dutch maritime manufacturing industry. The SDS scheme has been extended several times and has been operational for 7 years (as of late 2023). In addition to desk research, extensive analysis of administrative data from RVO, interviews, and a survey among users and non-users of the SDS scheme, we also conducted a Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA). QCA is a method particularly suitable for datasets with a moderate number of observations ('medium n'). It lies between case studies and large-scale data research. The method provides insight into which factors individually or in combination were decisive for an outcome. Particularly notable is that the method can show multiple routes to a specific outcome, instead of assuming that there is only one causal path between intervention and outcome. This can reveal, for example, that certain characteristics of shipyards are particularly effective for intervention. The research was presented to the Dutch House of Representatives on June 13th. Read the relevant Chamber letter here.