Aug 2026· Journal of Shipping and Trade· Vol 11· 0 citations· 47 references
Abstract
The European Inland Waterway Transport (E-IWT) industry is transitioning towards a new reality governed by higher levels of autonomous systems. While the E-IWT system is preparing for future changes in technical, legal and business frameworks, it is important to examine the system from a socio-technical perspective. Using a Socio-Technical System (STS) framework, the IWT system was segmented into four subsystems: Technical, Personnel, Work Design, and the Environment. Twenty-nine (29) actors covering 19 nodes within the 4 subsystems were interviewed using a pre-questionnaire survey, which was analysed employing a thematic analysis. Two themes emerged as key findings detailing the subsystems in 3 different scenarios: 1. Work as Done- (a) current conventional operation; 2. Work as Imagined- (b) manned and (c) unmanned remote-control operations. For all 3 scenarios, the results identified task, organisation, data and information for 4 subsystems, and existing or foreseeable gaps to the emergence towards higher Levels of Automation (LOA) through those scenarios. Findings forecast a shift in roles and responsibilities from the vessel to the shoreside, likely including a ‘shift in hub’ from vessel-centric operations to Remote Operation Centres (ROCs), requiring real-time communications, extended redundancies, goal-based regulatory changes, and ROC design requirements. The result further highlights misalignment among different subsystems and the necessity of integrated socio-technical approaches, including stakeholder collaboration, regulatory alignment, and system standardisation, to support the transition towards higher LOA in E-IWT.
European maritime transport is undergoing a profound transformation driven by the dual imperatives of decarbonisation and digitalisation. Although green and digital shipping corridors are increasingly promoted as mechanisms for supporting this transition, there remains limited understanding of how digitalisation and sustainability can develop in parallel in cross-border maritime systems. This study adapts an existing cluster-based smart port framework to the corridor level to examine digital shipping corridors as integrated socio-technical systems. The framework is structured around four dimensions: technological foundations, intelligent port systems, performance-focused digitalisation, and strategic governance and sustainability. A qualitative case study based on publicly available documents and secondary sources is used to illustrate the framework and examine how these dimensions are reflected in practice. The findings indicate that the corridor demonstrates significant progress towards digital integration at the port-terminal level, although full corridor-wide integration remains incomplete. At the same time, the analysis highlights ongoing challenges related to broader system integration and the transition towards zero-emission maritime transport. The study concludes that digital shipping corridors should be understood as evolving socio-technical systems whose development depends on the alignment of technological innovation, governance capacity, and sustainability objectives. The study demonstrates how cluster-based analysis can be operationalised through qualitative case-study research. The proposed framework contributes to adapting smart port research from individual ports to corridor-level systems and offers a basis for future comparative research on maritime transport transitions.
Eliise Toomeoja, Olli-Pekka Hilmola, U. Tapaninen· Sustainability· 0 citations
Communicating complex scientific content in an accessible way is essential to support informed decision-making in civil society. This study developed a participatory approach to involve collective stakeholders and citizens in the co-design and planning of a peri-urban forest in north-eastern Italy. A three-step Scientific Café method was applied in the Carpaneda forest (Vicenza). The first workshop involved twenty collective stakeholders (e.g., associations, organizations) who prioritized ecosystem services, conducted a S.W.O.T. analysis, and defined long-term management strategies. A second workshop with fifteen residents focused on identifying short-term management actions consistent with the stakeholder-defined strategies. The outputs from both steps were integrated into a shared management masterplan, which was then presented to participants for feedback. Collective stakeholders highlighted the importance of cultural services such as recreation and environmental education, as well as regulatory services including climate and microclimate mitigation and water regulation. Citizens similarly valued recreation, environmental education, and biodiversity conservation. The three-step Scientific Café proved to be an effective, adaptable, and low-cost method for integrating diverse knowledge and levels of expertise, fostering dialogue, inclusiveness, and co-production of knowledge in urban forest planning and governance.
Urban and territorial planning processes in most Latin American countries have not kept pace with urbanisation dynamics, placing significant pressure on civil infrastructure. In this context, digital twins (DT) and artificial intelligence (AI) are emerging as strategic tools for promoting more resilient and sustainable systems. This article presents a critical review of the methodologies implemented in Latin America between 2018 and 2025 in three areas of civil engineering: transport, geotechnics, and structural systems. The analysis considers technological maturity through technology readiness levels (TRL), interoperability, and contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The review was based on international databases (Scopus, Web of Science, and IEEE Xplore) and regional sources. The studies were comparatively analysed by country and domain using approximate TRL classifications, interoperability criteria among building information modelling–geographic information systems–Internet of Things–AI platforms, and alignment with the SDGs. The results show that the implementation of these technologies in the region has been slow and fragmented, with specific applications in predictive maintenance and monitoring, approximate TRL between TRL 3 and 5, and limitations in methodological standardisation. In Colombia, delays in the development of public policies condition the contextualised adaptation and large-scale deployment of these methodologies for sustainable and resilient infrastructure.
Mónica Marcela Suárez Pradilla, Nancy Castellano Torres, Edwin Hormaza Guevara et al.· Proceedings of the Instituti...· 0 citations
The multiple socio-ecological dimensions of sustainable landscape management, along with potential cross-boundary effects and co-evolving societal conditions, require research evaluation approaches that consider complex projects as viable organizational systems rather than a collection of stand-alone workstreams. This study analyses the co-design phase of the Transforming Agri-Food Systems in West and Central Africa (TAFS-WCA) Initiative by applying the Viable System Model (VSM) as a cybernetic framework for organizational analysis. Using the Initiative’s proposal and Theory of Change as the reference structure, the analysis identifies three nested organizational levels: Initiative, Work Package and Output, and summarizes how the five VSM functions at each level interact to shape operational processes, coordination mechanisms, strategic foresight and governance. Moreover, an adapted Rummler-Brache Nine Box Model is applied to the VSM diagnosis to support streamlined examination of performance expectations, process design, and capability requirements across the nested levels. This dual framing supports a structured and systemic interrogation of the Initiative’s organizational design. It highlights how the Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning and Impact Assessment (MELIA) functions may act as potential feedback pathways linking operational performance (S1) with managerial oversight (S2, S3, S3*) and strategic adaptation (S4, S5). The cybernetic interpretation, therefore, positions MELIA as a visible mechanism through which reflective and accountability processes can filter, strengthen and redirect information flows across recursive levels. The analysis then focuses on Work Package (WP) 3, which synthesizes evidence from multiple WPs to develop sustainable landscape management plans and a Water Decision Support System. By matching WP3’s expected deliverables with the outputs and Activities from other WPs and interrogating these relationships through the VSM, the analysis clarifies how interdependencies across the nested organizational levels may influence WP3’s ability to mobilize evidence. This structured approach offers a clearer understanding of how WP3’s integrative role may contribute to system (Initiative)-wide adaptive capacity. This study provides a reproducible methodology for examining, during the co-design phase, how governance, coordination and performance dynamics can be aligned within sustainability initiatives operating under complex and evolving conditions.
N. Sobratee-Fajurally, O. Cofie, R. Slotow et al.· Frontiers in Sustainable Foo...· 0 citations
The maritime industry facilitates over 90 percent of global trade through sea routes; however, it is facing soaring operational inefficiencies, fragmented data systems, and compulsory decarbonisation policies by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). This study investigates and empirically supports an overarching technological infrastructure that analyses the convergence of artificial intelligence (AI), Blockchain Application, Internet of Things (IoT), Digital Twins (DT), and Autonomous Systems in maritime logistics. The assessment of technology adoption patterns, operational and implementation barriers within the framework of Indian smart ports is conducted using a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) comprising 55 peer-reviewed publications and supported by semi-structured interviews with industry practitioners. This paper is based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and the Technology Organisation-Environment (TOE) model, and, as a result, nine-construct readiness model is developed. According to Structural equation modelling through partial least squares (PLS-SEM), Organisational Readiness (β = 0.498) and Perceived Barriers (β = -0.441) are the most salient predictors of overall transformation. The research provides practical suggestions to port authorities, shipping companies, and policymakers involved in the quest for sustainable digital transformation, drawing on knowledge of technological convergence, the international law of the sea, and Indian regulatory standards.
Unknown authors· Journal for Maritime Researc...· 0 citations
This paper presents and discusses the process employed to co-design and implement a participatory methodology for fostering multi-stakeholder governance within a European Interreg project, named UrbanCOOP. It aims to show how a stakeholder-oriented approach can be operationalized through co-created tools and routines that help regional and local authorities work with their stakeholders on sustainable urban cooperation.
The study adopts an action-research design within the Interreg Europe UrbanCOOP project, involving six European regions. The methodology was developed in two main phases: a co-design phase, leading to the co-construction of a stakeholder assessment template (SAT); a joint implementation phase, including progressive stakeholder mapping.
The methodology provides a structured process for organizing stakeholder relationships in multi-level governance. It supports continuous engagement rather than one-off consultations, serves as a legitimation tool, functions as a prioritization mechanism by clarifying which stakeholders must be involved and how and broadens the spectrum of actors considered relevant to urban policies.
The study is based mainly on self-reported data from project partners and on a single Interreg Europe experience with six regions. Future research could test and adapt the methodology in other urban and non-European contexts, apply quantitative analyses to the produced data and follow the longer-term institutionalization of the routines.
The paper offers an empirically grounded and adaptable methodological framework that enriches multi-level governance by operationalizing key theoretical pillars of the stakeholder approach, such as stakeholder empowerment and engagement, into the everyday work of institutional bodies at the European level.
C. Civera, C. Casalegno, Brigida Morelli et al.· International Journal of Pub...· 0 citations
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