The End of Easy Globalisation: Bergen Maps the New Maritime Order

Nick and Raal report from Bergen after Undocked’s first live stage appearance, capturing interviews with Michael Beckley, Sabrina Chao, Andreas Enger, Julian Bray, Pia Melling and Göran Persson. Across geopolitics, China, ammonia, ship management, market cycles and climate, the episode asks how shipping shifts from efficiency to resilience.

Chapters

00:42 — Welcome back from Bergen
01:38 — Setting the scene: Maritime Bergen and Undocked Live
03:15 — Why geopolitics dominated the agenda
04:23 — Michael Beckley on shipping, security and great power tension
07:44 — The three tailwinds turning into headwinds
09:23 — AI, productivity and the limits of comparison
11:35 — Decarbonisation, energy security and global rules
16:38 — Raal and Nick reflect on resilience over efficiency
19:14 — Sabrina Chao on China, Norway and maritime collaboration
23:03 — China’s green transition and the need for regulatory certainty
26:53 — Shipping as a model for global cooperation
29:17 — Nick and Raal unpack China’s maritime position
31:15 — Andreas Enger on China, ammonia and shipbuilding capacity
38:04 — Chinese dominance in shipbuilding and the risks of disengagement
40:27 — Höegh Autoliners’ ammonia-ready future
42:20 — One hundred years of adaptation at Höegh
47:19 — Leadership, transformation and making the right decisions
56:18 — Julian Bray on risk, cash and market cycles
1:00:17 — Why this is not quite 2008 again
1:03:25 — Pia Melling on ship management, services and adaptability
1:07:33 — Why more owners are outsourcing specialist services
1:10:03 — Energy-saving technologies and practical decarbonisation
1:12:19 — AI, learning and changing work at sea and ashore
1:17:02 — Göran Persson on global institutions and shipping’s role
1:20:15 — Making shipping visible through green leadership
1:21:43 — Final reflections: avoiding groupthink and widening perspectives

Shownotes

This special episode comes from Bergen, where Nick and Raal recorded quick-fire conversations with speakers from Maritime Bergen.

Michael Beckley sets the geopolitical frame: the tailwinds of globalisation, demographics and industrial productivity are weakening, pushing shipping to think more about resilience than efficiency.

Sabrina Chao brings a Chinese perspective on collaboration, regulatory certainty and decarbonisation, while Andreas Enger grounds the China discussion in ammonia, shipbuilding capacity and Höegh Autoliners’ long-cycle approach to transformation.

Julian Bray looks at market risk and why today’s stronger balance sheets make this cycle different from 2008. Pia Melling explains how ship management is evolving as owners seek scale, specialist services and practical support with energy efficiency, crew welfare and AI.

Finally, former Swedish Prime Minister Göran Persson argues that shipping must become more visible by leading on green transport, investment and innovation.

Together, the episode captures an industry adapting to a more fragmented world while trying to keep sight of long-term transformation.

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