區塊鏈商業模式在貨櫃航運業的應用：TradeLens 平台的興衰個案研究

Abstract

本研究旨在深入剖析區塊鏈商業模式在貨櫃航運業應用的真實挑戰，並以產業巨擘Maersk Line與科技龍頭IBM聯手打造的TradeLens平台之興衰，作為核心個案研究。面對全球航運業長期存在的數據孤島與流程效率低落等痛點，TradeLens試圖建立一個革命性的單一產業平台，但最終卻在2022年宣告失敗，為業界留下了深刻的教訓。

本論文採用個案研究法，透過梳理公開資訊、產業報告及學術文獻，並運用商業模式畫布、Tiwana平台經濟理論及PESTEL分析框架，對其失敗的根本原因進行了多維度的系統性剖析。

研究發現，TradeLens 的失敗並非技術或願景的不足，而是一場根植於其商業模式核心的系統性潰敗。其最根本的矛盾在於：一個由產業最大競爭者Maersk Line主導的封閉式、營利性治理結構，與其宣稱要建立開放、中立平台的商業策略，兩者之間存在著無法調和的衝突。此結構性缺陷引發了市場對其根深蒂固的「信任赤字」，導致像中國中遠海運(COSCO Shipping)這類的關鍵航商不僅拒絕加入，更催生了如GSBN (Global Shipping Business Network)這樣的對抗性平台，形成了「負向網路效應」，加劇了市場分裂而非整合。

研究亦發現，平台的技術架構、治理機制與商業策略三者之間存在矛盾與失調。例如，為應對競爭而主導成立的DCSA，使得技術標準淪為陣營對抗的工具，與其整合行業的初衷背道而馳。這些內在的結構性弱點，在面臨2022年全球經濟下行、資金緊縮，以及各國數位主權興起與電子提單法規進程緩慢等外部環境的巨大壓力時，被迅速放大，最終導致平台難以為繼。

本研究結論指出，在貨櫃航運這樣的寡佔產業中，推動基礎設施級的數位平台，成功的關鍵並非技術的先進性，而在於設計出一個能有效建立信任、公平分配價值、並能駕馭複雜競合關係的商業生態系統。TradeLens 的案例證明，任何忽視產業政治與信任現實的宏大藍圖，都將難以實現。

This study provides an in-depth analysis of the real-world challenges of applying blockchain business models in the container shipping industry, using the rise and fall of TradeLens—a platform co-developed by industry giant Maersk Line and technology leader IBM—as its central case study. Launched to address the industry's long-standing pain points of data silos and process inefficiencies, the revolutionary single-industry platform ultimately ceased operations in 2022, offering profound lessons for the industry.

This thesis adopts a qualitative case study methodology, systematically dissecting the root causes of TradeLens's failure through multiple analytical lenses, including the Business Model Canvas, Tiwana's platform ecosystem theory, and PESTEL analysis, based on a comprehensive review of public information, industry reports, and academic literature.

The research finds that the demise of TradeLens was not a failure of technology or vision, but rather a systemic failure rooted in the core of its business model. The fundamental contradiction lay between its closed, for-profit governance structure, led by the industry's largest competitor, Maersk Line, and its business strategy of building an "open and neutral" platform. This structural flaw created a deep-seated trust deficit among market participants. It not only deterred key competitors like COSCO Shipping from joining but also triggered a "negative network effect" by incentivizing the formation of a rival platform GSBN (Global Shipping Business Network), thereby exacerbating market fragmentation instead of fostering integration.

Furthermore, the platform's key dimensions of Architecture, Governance, and Strategy were misaligned. For instance, the creation of the DCSA to counter competition turned technical standards into a tool for rivalry, undermining the platform's goal of industry-wide unification. These internal weaknesses were critically amplified by external headwinds, including the rise of digital sovereignty policies, the 2022 global economic downturn and capital crunch, and the slow progress of legal frameworks for Electronic Bills of Lading (eB/L).

This study concludes that in an oligopolistic industry characterized by intense coopetition, the success of an infrastructure-level digital platform hinges less on technological superiority and more on the ability to design a business ecosystem that effectively builds trust, distributes value fairly, and navigates complex competitive dynamics. The case of TradeLens proves that any grand vision that ignores the realities of industry politics and trust is bound to fail.