Governance to Support Multi-use Platforms at Sea: Recommendations from Discourse Analysis
Governance to Support Multi-use Platforms at Sea: Recommendations from Discourse Analysis

Summary/Abstract: There is growing focus on multi-functional use of the marine environment. The solution presented is to combinedifferent economic activities in ‘multi-use platforms at sea’ (MUPS). An expanding body of literature focusses onthe economic, technical or social challenges that follow from combining these different functions at sea. CurrentDutch policy sees MUPS as a promising way to make the most out of scarce space available but present rules andregulations not supportive of MUPS.To find the right mode of governance for developing MUPS one needs a discourse coalition with a shareddefinition of (1) the problem tackled, (2) the solution it brings, (3) the solutions envisioned (including design anduser functions) and (4) the role of various actors in bringing about these solutions. In this article we present adiscourse analysis of the North Sea on the governance of MUPS.It shows that there is no single shared discourse but that there are contesting views on what MUPS are orshould be. Although some convergence of discourse takes place, the question whose problem is solved by MUPSremains unanswered: do they solve public problems such as nature conservation and spatial planning or areMUPS the solution to high Operation and Maintenance costs? This hampers the development

• Details
• Contents