Short sea shipping: lessons for or from Australia

This paper builds on two separate but linked streams of research. It reviews the short sea research conducted in North America, where large‐scale studies have been undertaken in both Canada and the USA over the past five years. These are compared and contrasted with studies from Australia, where coastal shipping has also received considerable attention, including a government investigation into the industry. This paper examines the lessons from these studies by answering four research questions, drawing conclusions about the role of the regulatory environment in promoting or deterring the development of land transport‐competitive short sea services. It also identifies research agenda gaps remaining. The paper focuses on what governments need to consider if they seek to induce switching from land modes, like truck or rail, to coastal shipping in order to revitalise the domestic industry or improve GHG‐efficiency in the transport sector or both.