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Transdisciplinary Approach in Sustainable Shipping: Transition to a Zero-Emission Maritime Industry

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 122

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Civil, Maritime, and Environmental Engineering Department, University of Southampton, and the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute (SMMI), Southampton, UK
Interests: sustainable maritime industry; net zero emissions; alternative fuels; energy efficiency; shipyards and ports as energy hubs; mitigation of Underwater Radiate Noise (URN) from commercial vessels

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Guest Editor
Department of Maritime Studies, School of Maritime & Industrial Studies, University of Piraeus, 18533 Piraeus, Greece
Interests: sustainable shipping; maritime decarbonisation; sustainable blue economy; green ports
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The maritime industry is vital to global human wellbeing, yet it also generates significant environmental externalities. Among these, achieving zero emissions across the industry’s value chain—including shipyards, vessels, and ports—is a top priority. As the industry reaches a pivotal moment in its transition towards sustainability, a holistic, systematic, and transdisciplinary approach is essential.

This Special Issue invites studies that explore a zero-emission maritime sector with a comprehensive focus on the entire value chain. We invite contributions that share insights from engineering, environmental science, economics, policy, and social sciences. Topics of interest include sustainable shipbuilding practices, advancements in green ship technologies, port decarbonization strategies, and the policy frameworks necessary to drive the transition to zero-emission shipping.

Our goal is to provide a transdisciplinary perspective on how the maritime industry can achieve its sustainability targets and contribute meaningfully to global decarbonization efforts. We welcome submissions of original research, review articles, and case studies that offer both practical and theoretical insights into this critical transition. Research areas of particular interest include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Advanced propulsion systems;
  • Alternative fuels;
  • Automation;
  • Carbon abatement technologies;
  • Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS);
  • Digitalization ;
  • Energy efficiency measures;
  • New energy carriers;
  • Energy transition in shipping;
  • Green technologies;
  • Global and regional policies for sustainable shipping;
  • Economic incentives ;
  • Lifecycle assessment.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Seyedvahid Vakili
Dr. Anastasia Christodoulou
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 practices
  • maritime decarbonization
  • green shipyards
  • ports as energy hubs
  • zero-emission shipping

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Published Papers

This special issue is now open for submission.
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