That actors - whether individuals, corporations, organisations, or states - are claiming property rights over the oceans and coasts is by no means a new phenomenon. However, it appears that the phenomenon is currently achieving new shapes and intensities. It is therefore receiving special attention from marine social scientists, as evidenced by the rising number of publications on topics such as blue-grabbing, ocean justice, individual tradable quotas, and NGO-managed marine protected areas. We observed that contributions to the topic are frequently polarised, where one side views privatisation - such as individually tradable quotas - as a saviour, and the other sees it as a massive risk. This collection aims to bring together and organise a conversation between diverse perspectives on the topic and to allow them to engage in discussion. All papers in this collection employ a different theoretical lens and apply it to empirical examples from around the world. This editorial discusses, explains, and synthesises the findings of these contributions. To accomplish this, we utilise artificial intelligence-assisted qualitative data analysis tools. The main outcomes are that processes of ocean privatisation are ‘processes of property’, whereby bargaining and discourses of different parties involved create new institutions. Distributive consequences are at the centre of interest of all approaches, and attention to power is also an important issue for all approaches.
Schlüter A. and Bavinck M. (2026) Ocean privatisation: the ‘processes of property’ occurring in the world’s maritime domains 10.1007/s40152-026-00515-7
@misc{Schlüter2026,
Title = {Ocean privatisation: the ‘processes of property’ occurring in the world’s maritime domains},
Author = {Schlüter, Achim and Bavinck, Maarten},
Journal = {MAST. Maritime studies/Maritime studies},
Year = {2026},
Pages = {58},
Volume = {25},
Doi = {10.1007/s40152-026-00515-7},
Abstract = {That actors - whether individuals, corporations, organisations, or states - are claiming property rights over the oceans and coasts is by no means a new phenomenon. However, it appears that the phenomenon is currently achieving new shapes and intensities. It is therefore receiving special attention from marine social scientists, as evidenced by the rising number of publications on topics such as blue-grabbing, ocean justice, individual tradable quotas, and NGO-managed marine protected areas. We observed that contributions to the topic are frequently polarised, where one side views privatisation - such as individually tradable quotas - as a saviour, and the other sees it as a massive risk. This collection aims to bring together and organise a conversation between diverse perspectives on the topic and to allow them to engage in discussion. All papers in this collection employ a different theoretical lens and apply it to empirical examples from around the world. This editorial discusses, explains, and synthesises the findings of these contributions. To accomplish this, we utilise artificial intelligence-assisted qualitative data analysis tools. The main outcomes are that processes of ocean privatisation are ‘processes of property’, whereby bargaining and discourses of different parties involved create new institutions. Distributive consequences are at the centre of interest of all approaches, and attention to power is also an important issue for all approaches.},
}
TY - RPRT
AU - Schlüter, Achim
AU - Bavinck, Maarten
TI - Ocean privatisation: the ‘processes of property’ occurring in the world’s maritime domains
T2 - MAST. Maritime studies/Maritime studies
PY - 2026
SP - 58
VL - 25
DO - 10.1007/s40152-026-00515-7
AB - That actors - whether individuals, corporations, organisations, or states - are claiming property rights over the oceans and coasts is by no means a new phenomenon. However, it appears that the phenomenon is currently achieving new shapes and intensities. It is therefore receiving special attention from marine social scientists, as evidenced by the rising number of publications on topics such as blue-grabbing, ocean justice, individual tradable quotas, and NGO-managed marine protected areas. We observed that contributions to the topic are frequently polarised, where one side views privatisation - such as individually tradable quotas - as a saviour, and the other sees it as a massive risk. This collection aims to bring together and organise a conversation between diverse perspectives on the topic and to allow them to engage in discussion. All papers in this collection employ a different theoretical lens and apply it to empirical examples from around the world. This editorial discusses, explains, and synthesises the findings of these contributions. To accomplish this, we utilise artificial intelligence-assisted qualitative data analysis tools. The main outcomes are that processes of ocean privatisation are ‘processes of property’, whereby bargaining and discourses of different parties involved create new institutions. Distributive consequences are at the centre of interest of all approaches, and attention to power is also an important issue for all approaches.
ER -
