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Sustainability
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Sustainable Maritime Logistics and Low-Carbon Transportation
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Sustainable Maritime Logistics and Low-Carbon Transportation

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Transportation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 January 2026 | Viewed by 3843

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Chunhui Zhou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Navigation, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430063, China
Interests: green shipping; low-carbon transportation; safe navigation; big data
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Hongxiang Feng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Maritime and Transportation, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
Interests: maritime big data mining; maritime risk identification and evaluation; port competition and evolution
Dr. Fan Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Navigation, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430063, China
Interests: maritime safety management; transportation risk assessment; prevention of shipping pollution and green navigation
Dr. Zhongyi Sui

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Logistics and Maritime Studies, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
Interests: maritime safety; maritime traffic management; traffic complexity evaluation; ship behavior analysis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Maritime logistics form the cornerstone of global trade, facilitating the seamless exchange of goods worldwide. Amidst the growing importance of sustainability, the maritime sector finds itself at a juncture where the quest for operational efficiency intersects with the urgent need to minimize environmental footprints. Over the past decades, with the development of shipping, maritime big data have provided the possibility of research on sustainable maritime transportation. In the coming decades, due to the strong potential for development that green shipping has, maritime logistics and low-carbon transportation will be redesigned. Undoubtedly, shipping will become more sustainable and efficient in the near future to meet public expectations and sustainable development goals, and different methods and technological innovation will play an important role in this. This Special Issue focuses on challenges and innovations related to sustainable maritime logistics and transportation, and it aims to reveal the latest problems and progress in research from the perspectives of policy, technology, and methods. The aim is to advance our understanding of the impacts of sustainable maritime transportation using the frontier system theory and methods so that we can reduce the environmental impact of ships in the face of growing activity and demand for transportation services.

High-quality submissions of papers presenting research in this field will be accepted, with a special interest in topics including, but not limited to, the following: 

  • Sustainable maritime logistics through complex systems;
  • Advancements in low-carbon fuels and energy sources;
  • Emission control of air pollutants from ships;
  • Treatment of water pollutants in ships;
  • Ship emission monitoring;
  • Maritime carbon footprint reduction;
  • Pollution simulation;
  • Prevention of shipping pollution and green navigation;
  • Maritime safety management;
  • Carbon emission reduction in the maritime sector;
  • Marine space-time big data analysis and application;
  • Low-carbon transportation for shipping;
  • Maritime risk identification and evaluation;
  • Port cooperation and competition;
  • Port integration

Prof. Dr. Chunhui Zhou
Dr. Hongxiang Feng
Dr. Fan Zhang
Dr. Zhongyi Sui
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Sustainability 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

  • sustainable maritime logistics through complex systems
  • carbon peaking and carbon neutralization in maritime logistics
  • assessment methods, modeling, and simulation for sustainability in maritime logistics
  • advancements in low-carbon fuels and energy sources
  • emission control of air pollutants from ships
  • treatment of water pollutants in ships
  • ship emission monitoring
  • maritime carbon footprint reduction
  • pollution simulation
  • prevention of shipping pollution and green navigation
  • carbon emission reduction in the maritime sector
  • low-carbon transportation for shipping
  • data analytics and digital twin technique for port development
  • port cooperation and competition
  • port integration
  • port scheduling and resilience

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

27 pages, 7848 KiB  
Article
The Development of Inland Waterway Transport as a Key to Ensuring Sustainability: A Geographic Overview of the Bucharest–Danube Canal
by Gabor-Giovani Luca, Daniela-Ioana Guju and Laura Comănescu
Sustainability 2025, 17(10), 4438; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17104438 - 13 May 2025
Viewed by 103
Abstract
Inland waterway transport faces increasing recognition as a sustainable alternative to conventional transport modes, particularly due to its lower environmental impact and higher efficiency. However, its implementation remains limited in many regions, including Romania, despite substantial potential benefits. This study addresses this gap [...] Read more.
Inland waterway transport faces increasing recognition as a sustainable alternative to conventional transport modes, particularly due to its lower environmental impact and higher efficiency. However, its implementation remains limited in many regions, including Romania, despite substantial potential benefits. This study addresses this gap by assessing the Bucharest–Danube Canal as a strategic infrastructure project capable of supporting Romania’s transition to sustainable transport, aligned with the European Green Deal and the United Nations 2030 Agenda. Employing a structured methodological approach, this research includes a comprehensive literature review and detailed analysis of successful European inland waterway transport projects, systematically correlating findings with specific Sustainable Development Goals. The results illustrate clear relationships between the selected case studies and the targeted goals, highlighting approaches for integrating sustainability into waterway infrastructure. Specifically, the study identifies effective guidelines applicable to Romania and emphasizes the necessity of a comprehensive, multi-dimensional planning approach that exploits the canal’s multifunctional capabilities beyond transportation, encompassing agriculture, tourism, renewable energy, and biodiversity conservation. In conclusion, despite historical and current challenges, the Bucharest–Danube Canal represents a strategic opportunity for Romania, promising significant contributions toward achieving national and regional sustainability objectives. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Maritime Logistics and Low-Carbon Transportation)
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18 pages, 5962 KiB  
Article
Optimal Routing and Sustainable Operation Scheduling of Large Ships with Integrated Full-Electric Propulsion
by Epameinondas K. Koumaniotis and Fotios D. Kanellos
Sustainability 2024, 16(23), 10662; https://doi.org/10.3390/su162310662 - 5 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 865
Abstract
The continuously intensified pursuit to reduce emissions related to human activity and the increased competition in maritime sector calls for sustainable and well-planned solutions to conform with environmental constraints and maximize profit, respectively. In a sector that is very critical for human activities, [...] Read more.
The continuously intensified pursuit to reduce emissions related to human activity and the increased competition in maritime sector calls for sustainable and well-planned solutions to conform with environmental constraints and maximize profit, respectively. In a sector that is very critical for human activities, such as the maritime industry, it is essential to be able to reduce ship emissions without increasing the overall cost of operations and the time to transfer the cargo. All these parameters make ship routing and ship emission reduction very crucial. This work examines the effective routing of large ships with an integrated full-electric propulsion system and the optimal power generation scheduling of their generators to attain the minimum possible operational cost. To achieve this, the problem was formulated, modeled and solved in two stages, namely, ship routing and power generation scheduling, respectively. The first stage was solved using the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) method and the second one with a conventional optimization algorithm based on the steepest decent concept. The proposed ship routing method is based on the sea resistance concept and the minimization of total ship propulsion energy. The obtained results show that the optimal path is a combination of the minimum distance path and the minimum resistance path. Ship sustainability is reinforced with the reduction in ship operation cost and ship emissions. Ship emission reduction is achieved in the second optimization stage using a suitable emission index that complies with IMO regulations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Maritime Logistics and Low-Carbon Transportation)
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28 pages, 3315 KiB  
Article
Optimizing Maritime Energy Efficiency: A Machine Learning Approach Using Deep Reinforcement Learning for EEXI and CII Compliance
by Mohammed H. Alshareef and Ayman F. Alghanmi
Sustainability 2024, 16(23), 10534; https://doi.org/10.3390/su162310534 - 30 Nov 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2171
Abstract
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has set stringent regulations to reduce the carbon footprint of maritime transport, using metrics such as the Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) and Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) to track progress. This study introduces a novel approach using [...] Read more.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has set stringent regulations to reduce the carbon footprint of maritime transport, using metrics such as the Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) and Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) to track progress. This study introduces a novel approach using deep reinforcement learning (DRL) to optimize energy efficiency across five types of vessels: cruise ships, car carriers, oil tankers, bulk carriers, and container ships, under six different operational scenarios, such as varying cargo loads and weather conditions. Traditional fuels, like marine gas oil (MGO) and intermediate fuel oil (IFO), challenge compliance with these standards unless engine power restrictions are applied. This approach combines DRL with alternative fuels—bio-LNG and hydrogen—to address these challenges. The DRL algorithm, which dynamically adjusts engine parameters, demonstrated substantial improvements in optimizing fuel consumption and performance. Results revealed that while using DRL, fuel efficiency increased by up to 10%, while EEXI values decreased by 8% to 15%, and CII ratings improved by 10% to 30% across different scenarios. Specifically, under heavy cargo loads, the DRL-optimized system achieved a fuel efficiency of 7.2 nmi/ton compared to 6.5 nmi/ton with traditional methods and reduced the EEXI value from 4.2 to 3.86. Additionally, the DRL approach consistently outperformed traditional optimization methods, demonstrating superior efficiency and lower emissions across all tested scenarios. This study highlights the potential of DRL in advancing maritime energy efficiency and suggests that further research could explore DRL applications to other vessel types and alternative fuels, integrating additional machine learning techniques to enhance optimization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Maritime Logistics and Low-Carbon Transportation)
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