Cold ironing technology, recognized as a tool to reduce emissions while ships are at berth, has been introduced in several European ports aligning with the international and European environmental and legal framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The study aims to identify the prospects for cold ironing technology’s introduction into Croatian state-owned ports according to European sustainable conditions. The authors surveyed a group of port experts and stakeholders. Response analysis showed that the technology implementation in Croatian ports is feasible, but only 40% of state-owned ports currently dispose of a minimum electric connection power of more than 1 kV. Furthermore, the analysis showed that all surveyed experts confirmed a cold ironing technology application perspective in state-owned ports. Substantial investments and financing demands have to be concerned to achieve sustainable implementation. Significant efforts are still needed to overcome the challenges in the technology application requiring cooperation between stakeholders. The international legislative regulations implemented by the IMO insist on the safety of ships and people, respecting both the security of navigation at sea and overall operations in the port.

The remote monitoring of maritime signaling facilities is one of the marine navigation safety rules essential for ensuring global maritime traffic. Some maritime signaling facilities have not yet implemented remote monitoring systems. This challenge is posed by factors such as insufficient signal range, limited availability of electrical energy, or various economic reasons. Therefore, this paper reviews the current and relevant scientific literature on 10 communication technologies for maritime signaling facilities in the last two decades using PRISMA guidelines. PRISMA 2020 represents guidelines for conducting systematic review papers using mixed methods, including their applicability to various reviews. In addition, this paper analyzes the selection of the best-suited communication technology for communication between maritime signaling facilities. The results show that, initially, 214 papers met the specified criteria, and after applying the filtering, it was narrowed to 29 relevant papers for the research topic. Surprisingly, almost half of them were found in databases other than WOS, SCOPUS, and GOOGLE SCHOLAR. Also, LoRa WAN is the most energy-efficient and cost-effective option, with a consumption rate 2.14 times lower than AIS and NB-IoT. To summarize, it has been found that LoRa WAN represents the optimal communication technology for transmitting data from maritime signaling facilities across long distances.

The promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment is one of the main goals of the United Nations. The aim of this study is to analyze the gradual change of conservative perceptions about the role of women in shipping. Maritime education and training institutions are fully involved in the process. The Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy and the Split University’s Faculty of Maritime Studies are a part of this process of general change in human attitude towards the acceptance of women on merchant ships. Data on female admittance and graduation are collected by both academies. In the period examined, i.e. 2012 – 2018, 129 women were enrolled at and 60 graduated from the NVNA. 281 women were enrolled at and 68 graduated from the Faculty of Maritime Studies. The attitudes of female candidates at the academy Nikola Vaptsarov were studied by means of a questionnaire. The growing number of female candidates at Nikola Vaptsarov’s Navigation, Ship Engineering and Electrician studies proves that a competitive environment was created on a completely new basis, namely the ability of women to work at an equal footing with men in a purely male-dominated profession. This paper opens the door to future research of the recruitment market required to establish the reasons behind skepticism about women on board and the ways to overcome this conservative line of thinking.

The hydrographic survey is an important technology for improving maritime safety, especially in coastal waters. The accuracy of nautical charts and navigation publications is known to be directly related to hydrographic survey data. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the status of a hydrographic survey by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) regions and identify the potentially risky IHO region for navigation safety. The fundamental step was to obtain the qualitative and quantitative data of the survey. Then, the presented analysis includes investigating the possible relationships between survey status and geographical characteristics by IHO regions. Considering that coastline length and sea surface data have not been calculated by regions, a quantum geographic information system was used to extract data. Using the presented methodology, the case study analyzes the data of stranded ships from 2010 to 2021 by IHO regions, estimates coastline length and sea surface by regions, and establishes the relationships between the coastline length, sea surface, and stranded ships. The results point out the need for improvement in the state of the hydrographic survey in almost all IHO regions and show a correlation between the sea surface and an adequate survey, as well as the coastline length and stranded ships. Hence, this research indicates the possibility of rationalizing the distribution of the IHO region concerning the sea surface and coastline length.

Selecting a vehicle to monitor navigational safety is an important goal, especially in search and rescue operations. It depends on the criteria set and the type of equipment in use. The study aimed to select the optimal vehicle according to the optimal criterion. In the decision-making, the AHP method was used to analyze and rank the selection criteria and vehicle types. As the most important criterion, the results point to reliability in different weather conditions and the SAR vessel as the first choice for interventions and monitoring navigational safety in Croatia. In the selection process, the AHP methodology pointed directly to the significant inconsistency of the expert group and indirectly to the need for more careful selection of members, additional training, and a broader selection of criteria and equipment.

Aids to Navigation (AtoNs) are essential elements of maritime safety infrastructure, yet their planning and spatial deployment still lack a harmonized, evidence-based, and operationally applicable methodological framework. This paper presents a structured analysis of scientific literature, International Organization for Marine Aids to Navigation (IALA) guidelines, and national legal frameworks from sixteen maritime countries in order to examine how AtoN planning is currently approached and to identify key methodological limitations. The findings show that existing approaches remain fragmented: scientific studies provide partial analytical tools, IALA documentation offers a strong normative basis but limited site-specific planning procedures, and national legal frameworks define responsibilities without establishing transparent and reproducible methods for AtoN placement. Building on these findings, the paper develops an integrated analytical foundation structured around spatial, operational, and technological domains, and demonstrates its indicative application through a case study of the 2024 grounding of the passenger catamaran Princ Zadra near Bračići Reef in the Adriatic Sea. The case study illustrates how hazard marking status, proximity to effective AtoNs, and coastal complexity can be combined to support structured and risk-informed decision-making. Although the proposed framework remains conceptual and requires further quantitative development and validation, it provides a consistent basis for future decision-support tools and more transparent AtoN planning across complex maritime environments.