Special Issue "The Transition to Sustainable Shipping and Ports"

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2021.

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Phoebe Koundouri
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of International & European Economic Studies, Athens University of Economics and Business, Athens, Greece
Interests: resource and energy economics and econometrics; sustainable development and innovation; interdisciplinary approaches for sustainable development; climate change modeling and policy
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Seas and oceans affect our daily lives, being not only a critical source of food, energy, and resources but also providing the majority of Europe's trade routes, thereby supporting jobs and national economies and serving as a highway for transportation of goods and people. Ports are places where multiple systems collide (shipping, energy, waste, tourism, and other transport). Ports can either be emissions hotspots or hubs able to drive enormous change. To achieve this potential, this Special Issue seeks papers that combine a systems innovation approach with multi-annual expertise on blue growth, maritime research and entrepreneurship in order to co-design a port innovations portfolio and financial tools that will drive the sustainable transition of both sectors of shipping and ports. The IPCC report explicitly refers to the need for “rapid far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society.” Incremental changes will not be enough. What is needed now is a fundamental transformation of economic, social, and financial systems that will trigger an exponential change in strengthening social, economic, health, and environmental resilience. We need big thinking and big changes. System innovation and transitions thinking can help and calls for intense public participation.

Through a demand-led approach, working with organisations willing to take on the responsibility of acting as ‘problem owners’ and committed to zero-net emissions, resilient futures, deep demonstrations progress in tightly designed, iterative phases - steps of rolling out systems innovation-as-a-service, aiming at the identification of the key actors to be involved, current status, vision, innovation needs, sustainable financial planning and ultimately at the alignment of all actors able to drive systems transition to a low-carbon emissions future. It is a circular approach in innovation implementation with a final goal the holistic change of the port and the shipping sector to Sustainability. Four research projects that are granted by the European Commission are Deep Demonstrations for Zero-Net Emissions in the port of Piraeus, Oceans of Tomorrow (H20CEAN, TROPOS, MERMAID), which together with two UN SDSN Greece Initiatives, the 4-Seas Initiative and the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Shipping, focus on developing technologically and financially efficient, environmentally sustainable, and socio-economically acceptable paths to sustainability.

Prof. Dr. Phoebe Koundouri
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 papers will be 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 1900 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.

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

Article
Environmental Disclosure: Study on Efficiency and Alignment with Environmental Priorities of Spanish Ports
Sustainability 2021, 13(4), 1791; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13041791 - 07 Feb 2021
Viewed by 459
Abstract
The purpose of this article is to analyze, in a three-stage research project and from an economic an operational perspective, the relationships between environmental expenses, the improvements achieved in five environmental variables analyzed and efficiency. To achieve these objectives, we analyze sustainability reports [...] Read more.
The purpose of this article is to analyze, in a three-stage research project and from an economic an operational perspective, the relationships between environmental expenses, the improvements achieved in five environmental variables analyzed and efficiency. To achieve these objectives, we analyze sustainability reports and economic data from 24 Spanish ports. The three aforementioned stages of this research are the following: first, the analysis of the sustainability reports to determine the level of information; second, the analysis of the economic and operational efficiency; and, third, the analysis of the alignment with the environmental priorities of the Eco Ports-ESPO (European Sea Ports Organization). The results reveal that (1) the type of traffic does not affect environmental actions; (2) environmental performance (improvements) depends on environmental expenditures; (3) environmental spending and efficiency in port operations are correlated; and (4) environmental spending and port economic efficiency are correlated. The research can contribute to the decision-making process of port managers by revealing that the alignment with the EcoPorts priorities can be important to direct the environmental performance of the ports towards the global interests revealed in this indicator. It also reveals that environmental expenditures and investments may be related to environmental performance and economic and operational efficiency. However, it also reveals that it is important to improve the extent of environmental disclosure to better explain the qualitative and monetary characteristics of each piece of information provided about environmental performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Transition to Sustainable Shipping and Ports)
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

1. Title: Financing the Transition to a Low-Carbon Economy and the Challenges in Financing Climate Change Adaptation
Author: Dimitris Dimitriadis
Affiliation: European Economic and Social Committee


2. Title: Market based measures for sustainable shipping
Author: Andreas Papandreou
Affiliation: National and Kapodistrian University of Athens


3. Title: Sustainability in Dry Bulk Shipping: the Star Bulk case study
Author: Charis Plakantonaki
Affiliation: Star Bulk Carriers Corp.


4. Title: Optima-X - A Collaborative Maritime Innovation Hub
Author: Angelica Kemene
Affiliation: Optima-X Maritime Innovation Hub


5. Title: The 4-Seas Initiative. Mobilizing Science Driven Sustainable Blue Growth
Author: Nikos Theodossiou
Affiliation: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki


6. Title: Pathways & Initiatives to Sustainable Shipping
Author: Konstantinos Vlachos
Affiliation: Latsco Marine Management Inc.


7. Title: The Greek Privatization Program as a lever for Sustainable Development in Greece
Author: Riccardo Lampiris
Affiliation: Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund


8. Title: Reducing CO2 to Combat Climate Change: Shipping Vessels Footprint from Cradle-to-Grave
Author: Peter Mekailian
Affiliation: NB-Innovation SAS


9. Title: ‘Sustainable Ports and the Circular Economy’
Author: Vera Alexandropoulou
Affiliation: Thalassa Foundation


10. Title: A Systems Innovation approach for a circulal, inclusive, resilient, zero-carbon maritime sector
Author: Maria Loloni
Affiliation: EIT Climate-KIC


11. Title: The transition to Sustainable Shipping and Ports
Author: Phoebe Koundouri
Affiliation: Athens University of Economics and Business


12. Title: Deep Decarbonisation Pathways for Transport and Logistics – Case Study Port of Rotterdam
Author: Dorothea Schostok
Affiliation: Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy


13. Title: The Role of SMEs in National Economies in Europe
Author: Marwan Zaher
Affiliation: University of Padova


14. Title: Optimizing Dynamic Ocean Management Strategies to Reduce Whale Ship Strikes
Author: Arjun Pillai Hausner
Affiliation: Cornell University

 

15. Title: Environmental Disclosure Ports: Study on Efficiency and Predictive Capacity of Spanish Ports for Environmental Priorities

Authors: Castelló, E. T., Giralti, S. E. and Rosa, F. S.

Abstract: The objective is to analyze the predictive capacity of the environmental performance of Spanish ports. Analyzing the sustainability reports to determine the level of information, then analyzing the efficiency, and finally analyzing the predictive capacity of the ports in relation to the priorities of the EcoPorts-ESPO (European Sea Ports Organization). As a result, it is expected to contribute to the literature on environmental performance by incorporating analysis of the predictive capacity of ports to environmental challenges. In practice, it is expected to contribute with decision makers on innovations and tools that will drive the sustainable transition of ports.

Keywords: environmental disclosure; environmental priorities; environmental management ports; port efficiency; EcoPort-ESPO

16. Title: Addressing Efficiency and Sustainability in the Port of the Future with 5G: The Experience of the Livorno Port (A methodological insight to measure innovation technologies’ benefits on port operations)

Authors: Laura Cavalli, Giulia Lizzi, Antonella Querci, Gregorio Barbieri, Francescalberto De Bari, Silvia Ferrini, Riccardo Di Meglio, Luciano Guerrieri, Rossella Cardone, Alexandr Tardo, Paolo Pagano, Andrea Tesei, Domenico Lattuca

Abstract: Considering the international 2030 Agenda and specifically applying sustainable development’s triple bottom line to port operations, innovation technologies enabled by 5G transformation have shown to serve as a junction point between the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the port’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). In order to measure economic, social and financial benefits deriving from 5G networks and digital transformation, a piloted technology model has been shaped with the final aim of designing new models of port management and operational planning, and of implementing sustainable port growth policies. Such an assessment finally represents a crucial means to enhance technological advancements on port competitiveness and efficiency, and to boost sustainability performance by supporting public policies and business decisions, finally leading to the development of the port of the future.

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