Decarbonising maritime ports: A systematic review of the literature and insights for new research opportunities

Abstract

Maritime ports have become pivotal players in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. While most of the existing literature has investigated specific decarbonisation measures, a comprehensive review to clarify how different decarbonisation measures could be combined remains absent. A systematic literature review was conducted by analysing 124 articles to identify the research topics concerning the decarbonisation of ports, highlighting the relationship between the different measures, thereby potentially serving as an initial step in developing decarbonisation strategies for ports. A bibliometric analysis was conducted to understand the prevailing trends within the literature selected. The measures were organised into 4 main categories: clean energy sources, operational measures, energy systems, and conservative measures. A thematic analysis was performed to identify the most studied countries, the investigation strategies used, and the decarbonisation measures considered. A cluster analysis was executed to discern the primary research topics organised into 3 main research areas: energy systems, emissions management, and clean energy sources. The review underscored the complexity and the need to combine technological innovations, regulatory frameworks, and stakeholder collaboration. Further, the cluster organisation proposed helps us to understand how ports could start a decarbonising process by combining specific measures. The main aim of this work is to highlight a path towards sustainable maritime ports. Potential opportunities for future research are proposed for each cluster.