All-electric ship operations and management: Overview and future research directions

Abstract

The grim shipping emission situation and stringent environmental regulations are key drivers for the shift from conventional vessels to all-electric ships (AESs). Currently, hindrances to AESs promotion are primarily attributable to operational and managerial challenges, as opposed to technological limitations. Despite a growing focus on AES operations and management, there appears to be a lack of specific reviews, making the literature on this subject fragmentary and immethodical. This paper systematically defines the problem of AES operations and management regarding ship design and planning, navigation, and energy refuelling. It also presents a comprehensive review of state-of-the-art solutions and research trends. Through the reorganization and analysis of existing research, we expect to improve the understanding of the problem of AES operations and management and encourage more research and applications to overcome the existing obstacles and promote better development. Moreover, we identify five potential issues for future directions based on the gap between the proposed problem frame and existing research.