Sustainable transition towards greener and cleaner seaborne shipping industry: Challenges and opportunities

Abstract

This study investigates the growing concerns surrounding seaborne shipping and increasing expectations in the maritime sector due to the technological revolution. This study aims to analyze the ongoing causes and unintended consequences driving this revolution in the maritime shipping industry, examining the current state and rising projections beyond 2030. This study employed a three-stage methodology that involved searching for relevant articles, evaluating sources to identify gaps and outlining a systematic approach to analyze the 88 documents that met the inclusion criteria. Findings revealed that the maritime industry is witnessing the development of simulated training, smart devices, unmanned vessels, 5G networks, drones, augmented reality, digital transformation in ports, smart ships, efficient ports, automated and autonomous vessels are anticipated to be the industry's future. The integration of information and communication technology enhance port productivity and support fleets' energy transition, while remote vessel operations and unmanned autonomous vessels improve operational flexibility and energy efficiency. The adoption of very low energy systems and emissions benefit future waterborne services. The research findings are valuable to researchers and experts in the maritime field and waterborne service industries.