The maritime shipping sector, responsible for nearly 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, faces significant regulatory, infrastructural, and economic barriers in its transition toward decarbonization. This study employs a multiple case analysis of the European Union’s emissions trading system, China’s green shipping corridors, and Maersk’s adoption of alternative fuels to examine the challenges of regulatory fragmentation, high costs, and inadequate infrastructure. Findings reveal that policy misalignment, insufficient investment in alternative fuel supply chains, and stakeholder disengagement hinder the industry’s green transition. This study advocates for a globally harmonized regulatory framework, strategic investments in alternative fuel infrastructure, and enhanced stakeholder collaboration. By proposing innovative strategies, such as public-private partnerships and digital compliance mechanisms, this research provides a roadmap for overcoming these barriers and accelerating the adoption of sustainable maritime practices. The insights contribute to global efforts to meet the International Maritime Organization’s 2050 decarbonization targets.

Photovoltaic (PV) fires are very rare but when they do occur the consequences can be serious for facilities and first responders, especially in the event of a fire on a ship or a yacht. The causes of fires mainly relate to the electrical installation (e.g., poorly designed systems, incorrectly installed equipment, faulty connections, defective products, overvoltage, and voltage surges) but also to defects and damage of the panels themselves (such as scratches, microcracks, etc.). Thermography is a useful method for quickly detecting local temperature increases, which may indicate incorrect operation of the electrical installation and panel, resulting from their incorrect configuration, faults, or damage. Local increases in temperature (hot spots) may increase the risk of fire. The laboratory tests carried out on the photovoltaic system allowed for the illustration of the temperature distribution of the PV panel, electricity receiver, and electrical connections in real conditions.

Seakeeping constitutes a fundamental component of marine engineering, which significantly affects the safety, comfort, and operational efficacy of maritime vessels. This paper presents an exhaustive examination of the seakeeping attributes associated with three categories of multihull vessels: trimarans, catamarans, and small waterplane area twin hull (SAWTH) vessels. The investigation delves into the distinctive design merits of these vessels, which include improved stability, velocity, and adaptability, rendering them appropriate for a variety of maritime uses. Through a meticulous evaluation of motion responses such as heave, pitch, and roll, this work elucidates the hydrodynamic performance of each vessel category under varying sea states. Sophisticated computational techniques, such as computational fluid dynamics (CFD), boundary element method (BEM), and hybrid numerical methodologies, are utilized to enhance hull configurations and augment seakeeping capabilities. By integrating insights from a multitude of studies, this review emphasizes the increasing significance of multihull vessels in contemporary maritime operations and offers crucial perspectives for prospective research and design refinement.

Additive manufacturing technology, a relatively new and dynamically evolving field, is increasingly used in a variety of manufacturing applications. On ships operated for a long period of time, where some parts are no longer manufactured, additive technology offers a forward-looking solution for the rapid and efficient reproduction of necessary components. This paper proposes a standardized operational workflow for managing requests and orders for 3D-printed components in the maritime industry, designed to address the unique challenges faced by vessels operating in remote locations. A case study involving the reconstruction of a fastening component within the control cabinet of a ship’s safety and RPM switch unit system demonstrates the practicality of this approach. The part is successfully reproduced using a standardized workflow, which began with the collection of photographs and measurements from the ship’s crew. This data enabled the creation of a precise 3D model and the subsequent production of 180 components made from PET-G material, selected for its durability and suitability for the intended application. The standardized workflow developed in this study minimized errors, reduced processing times, and ensured that the reproduced part met operational requirements. By establishing a scalable and adaptable framework for communication between the ship’s crew, engineers, and manufacturing facilities, the workflow highlights the transformative capability of additive technologies as a practical solution for the immediate needs of modern shipping operations.

Today, innovation is an important factor in socioeconomic development. Based on advanced engineering and manufacturing technologies, Industry 4.0 has a significant impact on technological innovation and offers valuable opportunities. Innovation activities allow companies to achieve many benefits in the short term, such as the introduction of new products to the market, the implication of new production technologies and, in the long term, the expansion of the market, meeting the exorbitant demands of customers, increasing productivity, and reducing costs, wastage, and production time. This study focuses on the issue of enterprise innovation and, in particular, on the innovative activities of industrial enterprises. This study aims to analyze the innovative activities of industrial enterprises and to identify the conditions that are conducive to undertaking pro-innovative activities. This study presents the theoretical basis for enterprise innovativeness. Secondary data relating to the issue of innovation in the industrial area were collected and analyzed. The activities undertaken made it possible to assess the current level of innovativeness, identify trends, and propose solutions that could support and increase the intensity of innovative activities. The results of this research can be used as a starting point for further deliberations on the creation of conditions supporting an increase in the innovativeness of Polish enterprises.

This article discusses the fire hazard of motor yachts that are up to 15 meters long. These types of recreational units, in accordance with legal regulations, are not subject to safety inspections. This may lead to negligence that results in a fire within a unit. The construction material most commonly used in the construction of yachts is glass fiber-reinforced plastic, used to produce components such as the hull, deck, and superstructure of motor yachts. The yacht’s equipment, such as furniture and other components, is made, among others, of wood, wood-based materials, or plastics. The results of the flammability tests of such materials presented in this article indicate the need to minimize the risk of fire, the effects of which may be dangerous both to human health and life, as well as the environment

This paper presents considerations for maintaining the necessary distance behind the preceding vehicle in traffic. The special case of the need to exit a motorway from the left-hand lane when there is heavy traffic is analyzed and evaluated. The legislation uniquely does not address such a case. In addition, the special case of entering a motorway has been analyzed and evaluated. When operating vehicles on the roads, we are exposed to non-compliance with the rules and the resulting offences and accidents. The human factor and unreasonable and “out of life” rules contribute enormously to their occurrence. These are from the area of the active safety system in the operation of vehicles on the road. The conclusions point to the need to change the provisions in the current road traffic law and to provide training for car drivers.

This article concerns the development of autonomous ship technology in maritime navigation, which entails safety and risk management challenges. This study aims to compare the risk analyses of two levels of autonomy of seagoing ships – A3-B1 (ships with limited crew) and A2-B0 (ships fully unmanned) – based on the results of a project named SAFEMASS developed by DNV GL company for the European Maritime Safety Agency. In addition, identifying new, emerging risks relating to the functioning of MASS is another research goal. The article uses hazard identification methods (HAZID) and fault tree analysis (FTA). In the case of A3-B1 vessels, the main threats result from reduced situational awareness of operators and dependence on automatic systems. In the A2-B0 model, the most significant risks are communication system failures and a lack of physical supervision of processes. The research results indicate the need to implement additional risk control measures, such as system optimization and improvement of human-machine interfaces (HMI). It is suggested that autonomous and low-emission technologies will develop conceptually in the coming years. Still, the widespread implementation of these technologies will take a long time due to the complexity of the processes and high operating costs. This article emphasizes that implementing autonomous technologies is a promising path for the sustainable development of maritime transport. Still, further research is required, investment in infrastructure is needed, and legal regulations must be adjusted.

This article presents a comparative analysis of the creation of digital bathymetric models using multispectral bands. The case analyzed involves images acquired from low altitude using an unmanned aerial vehicle in an area of shallow inland waters. The use of an underwater photogrammetric network enables georeferencing of the datasets at a level no worse than 0.013 m (mean RMSE). The green and red bands make it possible to generate a dense point cloud in the full bottom area and create DBMs, the accuracy of which is examined on the basis of 22 bottom check points and the obtained accuracies for the RMS error are no worse than 0.24 m. The results of this study indicate that the green and red bands can be used for bathymetry acquisition in shallow and very shallow waters, which can be applied to work that requires accurate bathymetry reconstruction in these types of water bodies.

The need to search for alternative packaging for takeaway food in the HoReCa sector (i.e., hotels, restaurants, and catering) strictly relates to EU regulations. Directive (EU) 2019/904 prohibits placing on the EU market nine types of single-use plastic products, including food containers intended for consumption onsite or takeaway made of expanded polystyrene (EPS). This research aims to assess the possibility of replacing the EPS box with other packaging. A specific goal of this study is also to compare packaging in terms of the rate at which they transfer thermal energy by heat conduction. The experimental data were described by Newton’s law of cooling, based on which the constant k of each object (a food simulant in a certain type of packaging) is determined. When assessing substitutes, the thermal insulating properties of the packages are investigated, as well as their ability to maintain shape and tightness after contact with semi-liquid food. The availability of the selected packaging on the local market and its price are also considered. The research has shown that disposable packaging for takeaway food is currently more useful than reusable options. The packaging variants, which are confirmed as suitable for cooked solid dishes with semi-liquid additives, are ranked in the following order according to their utility index (largest to smallest): PPmet bag, XPS menubox, AL bag with PP tray, PAP/ PE bag, PP reusable container, GL reusable container, PAP/AL envelope, PP box, and rPET container. This study indicates the need for further research into innovative packaging for takeaway food, including lowering the weight of existing materials while simultaneously increasing their thermal insulation or searching for new bio-based materials.

This study addresses the machining challenges of Hadfield steel by optimizing wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) parameters through a robust, multimethod approach. The research niche lies in applying hybrid modelling and optimization strategies ‒ specifically combining statistical and soft computing techniques ‒ to enhance machinability of high-manganese steels. The main objective is to improve both material removal rate (MRR) and surface roughness (SR) through systematic parameter tuning. The methodology integrates Taguchi L27 orthogonal array, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and genetic algorithms (GAs) to analyze and optimize five key process parameters: tₒₙ (pulse-on time), tₒff (pulse-off time), gap voltage (Vg), wire feed rate (Wf), and dielectric pressure (Dp). Results revealed that tₒₙ, tₒff, and Vg significantly influenced MRR and SR, while Wf and Dp had negligible effects. The maximum MRR of 36.25 mm²/min (+249.57% from baseline) is achieved under optimal conditions (tₒₙ = 120 µs, tₒff = 30 µs, and Vg = 80 V). The lowest SR of 0.95 µm (46% improvement) is achieved at tₒₙ = 100 µs, tₒff = 40 µs, and Vg = 60 V. Multiobjective optimization using MATLAB’s fmincon solver and GA-based regression modeling yielded a balanced result (MRR = 14.92 mm²/min and SR = 1.76 µm). The SEM imaging and 3D surface topography analysis confirmed that higher SR correlated with craters, microcracks, and cavities due to thermal loading. This work highlights MATLAB’s fmincon optimization combined with genetic algorithm-based modeling as a powerful framework for process optimization, especially for complex geometries such as grooves and splines in Hadfield steel, and underscores both the potential and limitations of WEDM in machining hard-to-cut materials.