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Sustainability
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Sustainable Logistics Management: Research Focus on Port and Maritime Transportation
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Sustainable Logistics Management: Research Focus on Port and Maritime Transportation

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 11 February 2026 | Viewed by 566

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Vitor Caldeirinha

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Transport and Logistics, Escola Superior Náutica Infante D. Henrique, Av. Engenheiro Bonneville Franco, 2770-058 Paço de Arcos, Portugal
Interests: port; management; strategy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The maritime and port sectors are undergoing profound transformations due to the combined pressure of sustainability imperatives, digital innovation, and global trade dynamics. This Special Issue aims to explore sustainable logistics management within port and maritime transportation systems and to collect original contributions that address environmental, social, economic, and governance challenges in the logistics chain, with an emphasis on ports as critical nodes in global supply networks.

We invite theoretical, empirical, and case-based research that investigates how port authorities, logistics operators, and maritime companies are adapting strategies, technologies, and policies toward more sustainable operations, and the topics may include, but are not limited to, decarbonization strategies, digital twin applications in logistics, circular economy in port areas, smart port governance, modal shift incentives, and sustainability assessment frameworks.

This Special Issue aims to advance academic and practical understanding by highlighting contradictions between sustainability discourse and practice, proposing innovative tools, and drawing attention to the global–local interface in maritime logistics sustainability.

We encourage interdisciplinary approaches and welcome submissions from scholars, practitioners, and policymakers.

Dr. Vitor Caldeirinha
Guest Editor

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 logistics
  • port governance
  • maritime transportation
  • green shipping
  • smart ports
  • supply chain decarbonization
  • digital transformation
  • blue economy
  • environmental policy
  • circular economy in ports

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

20 pages, 1152 KB  
Article
Transposition of the PRF Directive in European Ports: Charging Models, Practices, and Recommendations
by Nikola Mandić, Anita Gudelj, Merica Slišković and Helena Ukić Boljat
Sustainability 2025, 17(21), 9416; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17219416 - 23 Oct 2025
Viewed by 269
Abstract
As maritime transport continues to grow, the volume and complexity of waste generated by ships, such as garbage, sewage, and oily residues, requires the establishment of effective, accessible and well-regulated collection systems in ports. Ensuring effective waste management remains a major challenge across [...] Read more.
As maritime transport continues to grow, the volume and complexity of waste generated by ships, such as garbage, sewage, and oily residues, requires the establishment of effective, accessible and well-regulated collection systems in ports. Ensuring effective waste management remains a major challenge across the European Union, as differences in national implementation and charging systems continue to undermine the sustainability of port reception facilities. Directive (EU) 2019/883 on port reception facilities (PRF Directive) was introduced to harmonise regulatory standards, ensure adequate infrastructure, and remove barriers to proper waste management. This paper analyses the transposition and implementation of the PRF Directive in selected EU countries, focusing on the differences in cost recovery systems (CRS) applied in ports. A comparative analysis of charging models and waste management plans for ports is carried out, including an in-depth study of the leading European ports with the highest reported waste volumes. A nine-criteria evaluation framework was developed through a stakeholder focus group involving port authorities, concessionaires, shipping companies, and the Harbour Master’s Office, and was applied using the multi-criteria TOPSIS decision methodology, complemented by sensitivity analyses and adjustments for different port types (cargo, passenger, fisheries, marinas). The results show that the best-performing models achieved C* values between 0.514 and 0.529, confirming the robustness of the evaluation framework. Overall, the findings indicate that the optimal charging model is context-dependent, with No-Special-Fee systems without special charges favoured in passenger and leisure ports, and Prepaid + Reimbursement models more suitable for cargo and fishing ports. The paper concludes with policy recommendations aimed at increasing transparency, ensuring consistent reporting, and aligning CRS models more closely with EU environmental objectives. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Logistics Management: Research Focus on Port and Maritime Transportation)
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