Explore the vast range of titles available.

The marine industry, being the backbone of world trade, is under tremendous pressure to reduce its environmental impact, mainly driven by reliance on fossil fuels and significant greenhouse gas emissions. This paper looks at hydrogen as a transformative energy vector for maritime logistics. It delves into the methods of hydrogen production, innovative propulsion technologies, and the environmental advantages of adopting hydrogen. The analysis extends to the economic feasibility of this transition and undertakes a comparative evaluation with other alternative fuels to emphasize the distinct strengths and weaknesses of hydrogen. Furthermore, based on case studies and pilot projects, this study elaborates on how hydrogen can be used in real-world maritime contexts, concluding that the combination of ammonia and green hydrogen in hybrid propulsion systems presents increased flexibility, with ammonia serving as the primary fuel while hydrogen enhances efficiency and powers auxiliary systems. This approach represents a promising solution for reducing the shipping sector’s carbon footprint, enabling the industry to achieve greater sustainability while maintaining the efficiency and scalability essential for global trade. Overall, this work bridges the gap between theoretical concepts and actionable solutions, therefore offering valuable insights into decarbonization in the maritime sector and achieving global sustainability goals.

The introduction of several alternative marine fuels is considered an important strategy for maritime decarbonization. These alternative marine fuels include liquefied natural gas (LNG), liquefied biogas (LBG), hydrogen, ammonia, methanol, ethanol, hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), etc. In some studies, nuclear power and electricity are also included in the scope of alternative fuels for merchant ships. However, the operation of alternative-fuel-powered ships has some special risks, such as fuel spills, vapor dispersion and fuel pool fires. The existing international legal framework does not address these risks sufficiently. This research adopts the method of legal analysis to examine the existing international legal regime for regulating the development of alternative-fuel-powered ships. From a critical perspective, it evaluates and predicts the consequences of these policies together with their shortcomings. Also, this research explores the potential solutions and countermeasures that might be feasible to deal with the special marine environmental risks posed by alternative-fuel-powered ships in the future.

In recent years, the use of nuclear energy as propulsion for merchant ships has been proposed as a means of promoting the transition toward maritime decarbonization and environmentally sustainable shipping. However, there are concerns that nuclear-powered merchant ships could pose risks to the marine environment in the event of accidents, such as collisions, machinery failure or damage, fire, or explosions. The current international regulatory framework for nuclear-powered merchant ships is insufficient to address these risks. This research aims to address this gap by conducting a policy analysis of the existing regulations and a critical examination of their effectiveness in addressing the environmental risks of nuclear-powered merchant ships. Through this analysis, the study identifies the shortcomings and insufficiencies in the current framework and explores potential solutions to improve it, with the goal of enhancing the international community’s ability to mitigate the potential impacts of radioactive marine pollution from nuclear-propelled ships in an era of maritime decarbonization.

The escalating impact of anthropogenic activities on global climate patterns necessitates urgent measures to reduce emissions, with the maritime industry playing a pivotal role. This article aims to examine the adoption of International Maritime Organization energy efficiency measures for the often-overlooked fishing vessels and their contribution to the overall maritime decarbonization efforts. The article analyzes the attained technical efficiency indices of a case study large-scale fishing vessel and compares them with those of two cargo ships where IMO measures already apply. To support the proposal, a comprehensive analysis of the energy efficiency indices of eight large purse seine fishing vessels is also presented. The results show that large-scale fishing vessels of 400 GT and above could be subject to the IMO energy efficiency measures. The operational challenges, unique to the fishing sector, suggest that sector-specific considerations may be required to integrate the fishing fleet into the already existing IMO energy efficiency guidelines. Looking ahead, this article explores the benefits of aligning Regulation (EU) 2023/957 and IMO guidelines, as well as applying the IMO Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) in assessing the operational environmental impact of fishing operations, emphasizing the importance of including these vessels in the current regulatory frameworks to promote decarbonization.

This survey aims to provide an up-to-date and succinct yet informative overview of the blockchain technologies for the maritime industry. We synthesize the recent advancements in blockchain development and its adoption across maritime sectors, highlighting the key blockchain use cases, including promoting maritime sustainability and optimizing maritime supply chain management through improved traceability, advancing smart shipping with automated processes and fostering collaboration among stakeholders by enhancing transparency. Through an analysis of current implementations, pilot projects, and case studies, we especially focus on identifying the challenges and barriers, reasoning on the status quo, and the opportunities and future perspectives for blockchain in maritime.

The global shipping industry is transitioning toward decarbonization, with hydrogen-powered vessels emerging as a key solution to meet international emission reduction targets, particularly the IMO’s goal of reducing emissions by 50% by 2050. As a zero-emission fuel, hydrogen aligns with international regulations such as the IMO’s greenhouse gas reduction strategy, the MARPOL Convention, and regional policies like the EU’s Emissions Trading System. Despite regulatory support and advancements in hydrogen fuel cell technology, challenges remain in hydrogen storage, fuel cell integration, and operational safety. Currently, high-pressure gaseous hydrogen storage is the most viable option, but its spatial and safety limitations must be addressed. Alternative storage methods, including cryogenic liquid hydrogen, organic liquid hydrogen carriers, and metal hydride storage, hold potential for application but still face technical and integration barriers. Overcoming these challenges requires continued innovation in vessel design, fuel cell technology, and storage systems, supported by comprehensive safety standards and regulations. The successful commercialization of hydrogen-powered vessels will be instrumental in decarbonizing global shipping and achieving climate goals.

Coastal shipping plays a critical role in meeting maritime decarbonization targets under the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) and the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS); however, operators currently lack robust tools to forecast route-specific carbon intensity and evaluate the causal benefits of fuel switching. This study developed a distribution-free causal forecasting framework for voyage-level Carbon Dioxide (CO2) intensity using an enriched panel of 1440 real-world voyages across four Nigerian coastal routes (2022–2024). We employed a physics-informed monotonic Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LightGBM) model trained under a strict leave-one-route-out (LORO) protocol, integrated with split-conformal prediction for uncertainty quantification and Causal Forests for estimating heterogeneous treatment effects. The model predicted emission intensity on completely unseen corridors with a Mean Absolute Error (MAE) of 40.7 kg CO2/nm, while 90% conformal prediction intervals achieved 100% empirical coverage. While the global average effect of switching from heavy fuel oil to diesel was negligible (≈−0.07 kg CO2/nm), Causal Forests revealed significant heterogeneity, with effects ranging from −74 g to +29 g CO2/nm depending on route conditions. Economically, targeted diesel use becomes viable only when carbon prices exceed ~100 USD/tCO2. These findings demonstrate that effective coastal decarbonization requires moving beyond static baselines to uncertainty-aware planning and targeted, route-specific fuel strategies rather than uniform fleet-wide policies.

The decarbonization of short sea shipping is emerging as a critical priority for Mediterranean countries. This paper presents key findings from the ELECTRA-GR project, funded by the EEA Financial Mechanism (MIS 5202231), which aimed to evaluate the feasibility, technical readiness, and legislative requirements for the electrification of coastal ferry services in Greece. The study focused on two pilot routes—Salamis–Perama and Chios–Oinousses— representative of the high-frequency, short-distance ferry operations characteristic of the Greek archipelago. A comprehensive assessment was conducted combining technical fleet profiling, stakeholder consultations, legislative analysis, cost–benefit evaluations, and international benchmarking with Norway. For the base scenario of the high-traffic Salamis–Perama route, full electrification yields an annual reduction of approximately 900 tons of CO2 compared to diesel operation and achieves a Net Present Value (NPV) of €1.6 million over a 15-year period. In contrast, the Chios–Oinousses route, characterized by lower traffic volume, achieves a reduction of 85 tons of CO2 annually through hybrid conversion, but results in an NPV of €−1.69 million, underscoring the need for financial support mechanisms or targeted subsidies to ensure economic feasibility. The results indicate that electrification of short ferry routes in Greece is technically feasible and environmentally advantageous but faces significant challenges, including inadequate port infrastructure, regulatory gaps, and limited industrial readiness. The study proposes a structured roadmap toward electrification, emphasizing the modernization of shipyards, tailored policy instruments, and public–private cooperation. The findings contribute to the formulation of a scalable strategy for clean maritime transport in peripheral and island regions of Greece.

Green shipping corridors have become a key strategic initiative for advancing maritime decarbonization. This study develops an AIS-based bottom–up framework for estimating carbon emissions and compliance costs in green shipping corridors. The framework combines corridor fleet identification, AIS-based energy consumption and emission estimation, and compliance-cost modeling under the IMO CII and GFI requirements. On this basis, eight alternative energy options—HFO, fossil LNG, bio-LNG, e-LNG, bio-methanol, e-methanol, green ammonia, and biofuel B100—together with carbon capture technology, are incorporated into the analysis and applied to the Shanghai–Los Angeles/Long Beach green shipping corridor. The results show that before 2035, the emission reduction requirements of CII can cover the basic compliance requirements of GFI. Without carbon capture, the combined use of fossil LNG and bio-LNG appears to be a relatively favorable transition pathway. When carbon capture is considered, LNG with carbon capture and HFO with carbon capture emerge as two relatively advantageous transition pathways. During 2025–2035, it is recommended that ships first adopt fossil LNG, then gradually introduce limited amounts of bio-LNG, and subsequently integrate carbon capture once the technology becomes mature.