Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
7.7
3.3
Journals
Sustainability
Special Issues
Sustainable Maritime Transportation: 2nd Edition
sustainability-logo
Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Sustainability Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Sustainable Maritime Transportation: 2nd Edition

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 January 2026 | Viewed by 793

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jiangang Fei

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Australian Maritime College, University of Tasmania, Newnham, TAS 7248, Australia
Interests: transportation; logistics; supply chains
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Junzhong Bao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Marine College, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian 116026, China
Interests: maritime safety and risk assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Shenping Hu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Merchant Marine College, Shanghai Maritime University, Shanghai 201306, China
Interests: maritime risk assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Maritime transportation has always been considered one of the most efficient and cost-effective means of moving large quantities of cargoes, be they in bulk or containerized. In the past several decades, maritime transportation has experienced significant improvements in safety, efficiency, and cost reduction due to the industry’s continuous adoption of advanced technologies in design, materials and construction, and information and communication technologies. The industry has played an imperative role in facilitating global trade and developing the world economy and thus providing millions of job opportunities in the broad maritime industry. As far as sustainability is concerned, maritime transportation may be the most sustainable way of moving large quantities of all kinds of cargoes over long distance. Maritime transportation, however, does face challenges in enhancing the sustainability of the industry. Such challenges include safety, security, increasing pressure for energy efficiency, disruptive technologies (e.g., autonomous ships), a skilled workforce, and ocean governance.

Research into addressing these challenges will inform policy development to further strengthen the sustainability of the maritime transportation industry. This Special Issue of Sustainability is a timely call for contributions to this very important industry, which is considered the backbone of international trade. Topics of interest for submission include but are not limited to the following:

  • Energy efficiency;
  • Disruptive technologies and their impacts;
  • Maritime education and training in the era of digitalization;
  • Energy supply and renewable energy;
  • Autonomous ships;
  • Digital twins in maritime transportation;
  • Maritime security;
  • Risk assessment and mitigation;
  • Port–ship interface;
  • Safety culture and corporate social responsibility;
  • Ocean governance.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Jiangang Fei
Prof. Dr. Junzhong Bao
Prof. Dr. Shenping Hu
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. 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

  • sustainability
  • maritime safety
  • maritime security
  • energy efficiency
  • maritime education and training
  • digitalization
  • digital twins
  • risk assessment and ship safety

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

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

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

17 pages, 3989 KB  
Article
A Simulator-Based Tidal Current Response Competence Evaluation Framework for Remote Operators
by Hyeinn Park and Ik-Hyun Youn
Sustainability 2025, 17(24), 11258; https://doi.org/10.3390/su172411258 - 16 Dec 2025
Abstract
A remote operator (RO) of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASSs) is required to respond to the effects of external forces, such as tidal currents, and ensure safe, efficient, and sustainable navigation. However, previous studies primarily focus on the physical movement changes of the [...] Read more.
A remote operator (RO) of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASSs) is required to respond to the effects of external forces, such as tidal currents, and ensure safe, efficient, and sustainable navigation. However, previous studies primarily focus on the physical movement changes of the ship caused by tidal currents, with limited research addressing the impact of external forces on ship maneuverability and steering response. Therefore, analysis of an RO’s steering competence and identification features for training is important. In the context of sustainable maritime operations and navigation, the purpose of this study is to analyze the competence of ROs in steering ships under the effects of tidal currents and to identify priority training features as a foundational framework for future applications to MASS remote operation training. Twenty third-year cadets at Mokpo National Maritime University participated in simulator experiments designed to analyze steering competence in the presence and absence of tidal currents in a controlled environment. The experimental results showed the difference in steering performance considering the effect of tidal currents, and machine learning algorithms were used to identify priority training features. Machine learning analysis ranked Altering to ROT zero time (ART) and Maximum port ROT (MRT) as the two most influential steering features among the four identified variables, consistently showing the highest importance scores across all models. This simulator-based study identifies tidal current response steering features as a foundational framework for RO training and competence evaluation, which may inform the design of future MASS remote operation training programs after further validation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Maritime Transportation: 2nd Edition)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 1662 KB  
Article
Port Sustainability and Probabilistic Assessment of Ship Moorings at Port Terminal Quays
by Vytautas Paulauskas, Donatas Paulauskas and Vytas Paulauskas
Sustainability 2025, 17(20), 8973; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17208973 - 10 Oct 2025
Viewed by 411
Abstract
The sustainability of a port is directly related to the time spent by ships in terminals and depends on the terminal, the technologies used in it, and external conditions. Currently used sustainable port terminal technologies allow a significant increase in the intensity of [...] Read more.
The sustainability of a port is directly related to the time spent by ships in terminals and depends on the terminal, the technologies used in it, and external conditions. Currently used sustainable port terminal technologies allow a significant increase in the intensity of ship loading operations and, at the same time, shorten the time spent by ships at the quays. Since port construction processes take a lot of time, many ports have many quays every day that are not moored by ships. Ports try to attract passenger and cargo flows, but they are also not infinite. In individual port terminals, for example, container and Ro–Ro terminals, most of the time is spent on cargo processing inside the terminal, and only part of the time is spent on ship loading operations. Probabilistic assessment of ship mooring at quays allows an understanding of not only the optimal need for quays and modernization of their equipment, but at the same time for a more purposeful assessment of the possibilities of using quays, accepting diversification options and, therefore, optimizing the ports themselves as a sustainable port entity. The article presents a methodology for assessing berth occupancy focused on the development of a sustainable port based on probabilistic methods that would allow calculating potential berth occupancy. The developed methodology, compared to existing methodologies and models, allows for a more realistic assessment of the expected berth occupancy, using actual port and ship data. The presented theoretical and experimental research results confirm the suitability of the developed methodology for the development of a sustainable port and the possibilities of applying the developed methodology in any port, adapting it to specific port conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Maritime Transportation: 2nd Edition)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop