MARITIME TRANSPORT TRANSFORMATION AND SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTIONS: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW OF CHALLENGES AND CARBON EMISSION REDUCTION STRATEGIES

Abstract

The world trade is hinged upon maritime transport, which is influenced by the Supply chain disruptions and increasing pressure to reduce carbon emissions. The current study is a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) which will synthesize the current literature on the transformation of maritime transport, supply chain interruption, systemic challenges, and carbon emission reduction strategies. According to the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, 111 peer-reviewed journal articles have been chosen in Scopus and Web of Science databases, which were published in 2015-25. The results are described and thematic analyzed to suggest that post-COVID and geopolitically driven studies are steeply increasing, and most of the themes include digitalization, port congestion, resiliency, alternative fuels, and regulatory frameworks. The findings indicate the urgent interaction between the disruption-induced operational effects, such as vessel rerouting and network reconfiguration, and the elevated degree of emissions, which demonstrates a trade-off between supply chain resilience and the de-carbonization. Although the technological and operational mitigation strategies portray high potential of long-term performance, in most situations, the rate of their performance is constrained by the piecemeal control, financial constraints, as well as disruption dynamics. The significance of the paper lies in the fact that the resilience and sustainability perspective is joined together, and the future research agenda is provided to enable the consistent policy formulation and sustainable transition in the maritime transport.

Keywords: Maritime transport; Supply chain disruptions; De-carbonization; Carbon emission reduction.