Sustainable Marine and Offshore Systems for a Net-Zero Future

Dear Colleagues,

The global urgency to mitigate climate change is driving transformative changes in the marine and offshore sectors. The European Union has adopted a set of ambitious climate, energy, transport, and taxation policy proposals, aiming to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 (compared to 1990 levels). This is a central pillar of the European Green Deal, which commits the EU to becoming climate-neutral by 2050, building its economy with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. Similarly, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has set targets to reduce CO₂ emissions by 40% by 2030 (compared to 2008 levels) and to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

In pursuit of these goals, offshore and maritime systems are emerging as critical enablers of this energy transition. The offshore domain holds immense potential for renewable energy generation, carbon capture and storage (CCS), and decarbonized marine transport:

• EU targets for renewables to contribute at least 42.5% of energy, which will require that the currently installed wind capacity grows to more than 500 GW by 2030. Floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) and hybrid wind–wave energy platforms represent the next frontier in marine renewable energy, being able to be deployed in deep waters and expand resource accessibility.
• Starting in 2040, the European Commission estimates that the EU will need to capture and permanently store approximately 250 million tonnes of CO₂ per year to remain on track for climate neutrality by 2050. Offshore geological formations provide the most viable and scalable storage capacity for this goal.
• Green shipping corridors and innovations in sustainable marine propulsion are essential to decarbonizing global trade. Today, approximately 85% of global goods and 35% of energy products are transported by ocean-going vessels. However, the shipping sector alone contributes around 3% of global GHG emissions.

In this context, the convergence of offshore renewable energy, carbon storage infrastructure, and green maritime technologies is no longer optional—it is essential. However, the integration of these systems poses complex engineering and environmental challenges, including multi-physics modeling, system control under uncertainty, lifecycle assessment, and policy coordination across sectors.

This Special Issue seeks to bring together cross-disciplinary research that addresses these challenges and accelerates the deployment of sustainable technologies in the ocean domain. By highlighting innovative approaches in marine engineering, floating structures, offshore energy conversion, and carbon management, we aim to support the global effort toward climate neutrality and a resilient blue economy.

Dr. Fares M’zoughi
Dr. Payam Aboutalebi
Guest Editors

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