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Applied Sciences
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Risk and Safety of Maritime Transportation: 2nd Edition
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Risk and Safety of Maritime Transportation: 2nd Edition

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Transportation and Future Mobility".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 August 2026 | Viewed by 1927

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Andrea Maternová

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Water Transport, University of Zilina, Žilina, Slovakia
Interests: safety (maritime and IWT); human error; transportation of dangerous goods; logistics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Andrej Dávid

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Water Transport, University of Zilina, Žilina, Slovakia
Interests: maritime transport; inland navigation; maritime and inland ports; safety
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Nermin Hasanspahic

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Maritime Department, University of Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik, Croatia
Interests: traffic safety; accident analysis; safety management; risk analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Lucia Švábová

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Finance and Financial Management, University of Zilina, Žilina, Slovakia
Interests: statistical methods in transport
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This journal is dedicated to enhancing safety and managing risks in maritime transportation. With maritime transportation playing a crucial role in global trade and economic development, the need for advancing safety in this sector has never been more pressing. The complexity of maritime operations, along with the tough conditions they often face, exposes this sector to a variety of significant risks resulting from operational and environmental hazards.

Safety in maritime transportation is crucial for several key reasons. Firstly, it prioritises human life by preventing accidents and protecting crew members and passengers. Secondly, it plays a critical role in environmental protection, as maritime activities can lead to pollution and ecosystem damage. Additionally, safety measures are essential for economic stability, preventing costly disruptions and ensuring efficient global trade. Compliance with stringent regulations is necessary in the maritime industry, and effective risk assessment helps to achieve this, avoiding legal issues and fines. Together, these factors underscore the importance of maritime safety for sustainability, resilience, and global well-being.

We are therefore interested in articles that provide insight into the hazards, risk assessment, and issues related to causal factor identification and the general safety of maritime transportation. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Risk analysis and risk management in maritime transportation.
  • Human factors and crew resource management in maritime operations.
  • Examining the causal factors that contribute to shipping accidents.
  • Hazardous material handling in maritime transport.
  • Safety management and compliance in the maritime domain.
  • Insight into the latest innovations in ship design that prioritise safety.
  • The role of artificial intelligence in maritime risk management.
  • Lessons learned and preventative strategies.
  • Analysis of environmental impacts of shipping on the marine environment.
  • Implementing and monitoring safety cultures in maritime organisations.
  • Development and implementation of new technologies for navigation, communication, and operations at sea.
  • Research into crew management, fatigue, training, and human error.

Dr. Andrea Maternová
Dr. Andrej Dávid
Dr. Nermin Hasanspahic
Dr. Lucia Švábová
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • maritime
  • risks
  • hazards
  • safety
  • challenges

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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24 pages, 5829 KB  
Article
Analysis of Influencing Factors on the Severity of Ship Collision Accidents Based on an Improved TAN-BN
by Chenyu Wan and Xiongguan Bao
Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(8), 3818; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16083818 - 14 Apr 2026
Viewed by 286
Abstract
This study proposes an improved tree-augmented Bayesian network (TAN-BN) method for analyzing the severity of ship collision accidents by introducing the information contribution rate (ICR) for edge orientation and flexible filtering constraints for structure optimization. Based on 634 ship collision accident reports, a [...] Read more.
This study proposes an improved tree-augmented Bayesian network (TAN-BN) method for analyzing the severity of ship collision accidents by introducing the information contribution rate (ICR) for edge orientation and flexible filtering constraints for structure optimization. Based on 634 ship collision accident reports, a Bayesian network covering accident attributes and causal factors was constructed. The results show that the improved model achieved an overall AUC of 0.864, higher than that of the traditional TAN model (0.827). Mutual information analysis identified ship length as the factor most strongly associated with accident severity, with a mutual information value of 0.0868. Sensitivity analysis based on true risk impact (TRI) further showed that ship length, time, and ship type were the most influential factors, with average TRI values of 19.4%, 8.8%, and 7.2%, respectively. The proposed model effectively captures the dependency relationships between accident severity and multiple influencing factors and can provide quantitative support for risk warning and accident prevention in maritime traffic safety. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Risk and Safety of Maritime Transportation: 2nd Edition)
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23 pages, 4406 KB  
Article
Experimenting with Smart Containers and Blockchain: A New Frontier for Data Security
by Radoje Dzankic, Ephraim Alemneh Jemberu, Sanja Bauk and Olli-Pekka Hilmola
Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(6), 2669; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16062669 - 11 Mar 2026
Viewed by 548
Abstract
The global maritime industry, a critical pillar of international trade, continues to face persistent challenges in ensuring the integrity, security, and transparency of containerized cargo data, particularly during ocean transport. Traditional container tracking systems at sea often lack the reliability and resilience required [...] Read more.
The global maritime industry, a critical pillar of international trade, continues to face persistent challenges in ensuring the integrity, security, and transparency of containerized cargo data, particularly during ocean transport. Traditional container tracking systems at sea often lack the reliability and resilience required to prevent data tampering, cyber threats, and operational inefficiencies. As supply chains become more complex and interconnected, the demand for robust, end-to-end data security solutions becomes more pressing. A promising technological advancement in this area is the convergence of smart containers, equipped with Internet of Things (IoT) sensors for real-time condition monitoring, and blockchain technology (BCT) for secure data validation. These IoT devices facilitate continuous tracking of critical parameters such as location, temperature, humidity, tilt, and the like. However, the data they generate remains vulnerable to cyberattacks, signal disruptions, and unauthorized alterations. Blockchain’s decentralized and tamper-evident architecture addresses these vulnerabilities by enabling secure data immutability, transparent audit trails, and enhanced stakeholder trust. Despite its potential, the practical integration of blockchain with smart container systems in maritime logistics remains largely underexplored. To bridge this gap, this paper proposes a blockchain-enabled smart container monitoring system that combines container real-time data with secure physical tracking. Furthermore, to ensure scalability and efficient in data storage, hybrid on/off-chain architecture is introduced, balancing blockchain integrity with performance and resource optimization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Risk and Safety of Maritime Transportation: 2nd Edition)
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22 pages, 807 KB  
Article
Interrelations Among Data Quality Characteristics in Safety-Relevant Maritime Services: An Expert-Based Study
by Changui Lee and Seojeong Lee
Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(4), 2020; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16042020 - 18 Feb 2026
Viewed by 329
Abstract
The digitalization of maritime information and operational data has led to increasing reliance on data-driven services to support safe and efficient maritime transportation. As maritime operations become more service-oriented, data quality and interoperability play a crucial role in operational reliability and safety-related decision-making. [...] Read more.
The digitalization of maritime information and operational data has led to increasing reliance on data-driven services to support safe and efficient maritime transportation. As maritime operations become more service-oriented, data quality and interoperability play a crucial role in operational reliability and safety-related decision-making. However, most existing data quality assessment approaches treat quality characteristics as independent attributes, offering limited insight into how deficiencies interact and propagate risk across interconnected services. This study proposes a safety-oriented analytical framework that focuses on the interrelations among data quality characteristics in service-oriented maritime operations. The framework combines Delphi-inspired expert elicitation with a structured prioritization approach based on the principles of the Analytic Hierarchy Process to capture both the perceived importance of data quality characteristics and their influence relationships. An expert survey was conducted with practitioners across the maritime transportation value chain, focusing on safety-relevant services such as condition monitoring and route planning. The results indicate that data quality characteristics are perceived as interdependent rather than isolated. Timeliness is identified as a key upstream factor that strongly influences both accuracy and reliability, especially in operational services that operate under time constraints. The analysis further shows that operational services are more vulnerable to compounded data quality degradation than reporting-oriented services. By framing data quality interactions as latent safety and interoperability risk factors, this study provides a practical perspective that complements existing standards and supports more effective prioritization of data quality management in digital maritime services. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Risk and Safety of Maritime Transportation: 2nd Edition)
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Review

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37 pages, 3091 KB  
Review
Safety of Zero-Emission Transportation Systems: A Bibliometric Review and Future Research Perspective
by Donghun Lee, Hyunjoon Nam, Yiliu Liu, Kevin Koosup Yum, Sooyeon Kwon and Hyungju Kim
Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(3), 1221; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16031221 - 24 Jan 2026
Viewed by 423
Abstract
As the global transportation sector accelerates toward net-zero targets, the rapid deployment of alternative fuels like hydrogen, ammonia, and batteries introduces complex and novel safety challenges. This study systematically maps the intellectual structure of safety and risk research on zero-emission transportation systems to [...] Read more.
As the global transportation sector accelerates toward net-zero targets, the rapid deployment of alternative fuels like hydrogen, ammonia, and batteries introduces complex and novel safety challenges. This study systematically maps the intellectual structure of safety and risk research on zero-emission transportation systems to evaluate field maturity and identify critical knowledge gaps. We conducted a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of 151 core publications retrieved from the Web of Science from 2000 to 2025. By integrating quantitative performance analysis with qualitative science mapping techniques, the results identify that the domain is nascent and rapidly expanding, and a distinct inflection in publication occurred in 2020. However, science mapping reveals a fragmented intellectual structure. Among the four identified research clusters, two dominant streams emerge as the primary drivers of the field. The first is a “motor theme” focused on lithium-ion battery reliability and thermal runaway, while the second is a “basic theme” focused on hydrogen dispersion and toxicity risks. The analysis exposes a blind spot regarding the lack of cross-modal research addressing the physical safety interactions between different fuel systems operating in the shared infrastructure. Finally, this study proposes a future research agenda focusing on gathering real-world accident data and using system-theoretic approaches to manage integrated alternative fuel risks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Risk and Safety of Maritime Transportation: 2nd Edition)
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