Smart contracts are scripts on the top of the blockchain technology. They represent a form of automation by what the layers of intermediaries can be reduced or even completely replaced. Accordingly, blockchain smart contracting systems decrease transaction and enforcement costs as well as process time. Moreover, we argue, blockchain and smart contracts can facilitate cross-organisational collaboration and their underlying business processes. Hence, they are able to support the integration of entrepreneurs and SMEs into trans-national supply chains by reducing high entry barriers and weakening the dominating position of big players. This paper discusses the research questions how blockchain smart contracting can facilitate the implementation of collaborative logistics structures and how the integration of SMEs into sustainable maritime supply chains can be safeguarded. The research bases on expert interviews and case studies. The results showcase the potentials of using blockchain smart contracting in the environment of trans-national and multimodal supply chains.

Digital technologies receive more and more attention in the maritime transport sector. Large ports such as Rotterdam or Antwerp are already heavily investing in digital databased technologies and thus, continue to rely on a sustainable expansion of these advanced technologies that promise security, process optimization and sustainability. Conversely, especially smaller ports have no or limited knowledge on what Industry 4.0, IoT and Blockchain are and what potentials they may have. Nevertheless, without the inclusion of small and medium-sized ports, the innovative idea towards a smart port development stays unachievable. Related to this, there exist a lack of concepts and models for measuring the digital performance of ports. Without such tools, it is impossible to audit the digital status of ports and to derive a concrete strategic roadmap for the digital transformation of ports. Accordingly, in this study, the research questions will be investigated, how the digital performance of ports can be assessed, and which strategic recommendations can be derived for ports regarding a sustainable development towards a smart port. Building upon the received qualitative data that were gathered through an online survey and IT based expert interviews, a digital readiness index for ports is applied in case of five selected seaports. The results will show that building upon the benchmarking and indexing of the ports, the current strategic positioning of the ports becomes apparent. Through this, the respective strategic recommendations for a sustainable development towards a smart port can be derived in accordance to each port classification.

Following the International Maritime Organization (IMO), in order to safeguard the realization of the Paris Agreement on climate protection, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have to be reduced by 50% by the year 2050. This objective shall be reached by decarbonization of maritime traffic, which is why ship operators currently increasingly search for alternative fuels. Moreover, since the start of the Ukrainian war in February 2022, this issue of alternative fuels has gained central importance in political agendas. A promising candidate for clean shipping that meets the IMO goals is ammonia since it is a carbon-free fuel. Ammonia (NH₃) shows good advantages in handling and storage, and it ensures long sea voyages without any significant loss in cargo space for a reasonable price. Hence, ammonia has the potential to improve the environmental footprint of global shipping enormously. Induced by the introduction of stricter regulations in the so-called emission control areas (ECAs) in Northern Europe in 2015 as well as the renewed global sulfur cap, which entered into force in 2020, ship operators had to decide between different compliance methods, among which the most popular solutions are related to the use of expensive low-sulfur fuel oils, newbuilds and retrofits for the usage of liquefied natural gas (LNG) or the installation of scrubber technology. A change to ammonia as a marine alternative fuel represents an additional novel future option, but the successful implementation depends on the availability of NH₃ in the ports, i.e., on the installation of the maritime NH₃ infrastructure. Currently, the single German NH₃ terminal with maritime access is located in Brunsbüttel, the western entrance to Kiel Canal. The distribution of NH₃ from the existing NH₃ hub to other German ports can be analyzed by the mathematical model of an inventory routing problem (IRP) that is usually solved by combinatorial optimization methods. This paper investigates the interrelated research questions, how the distribution of marine NH₃ fuel can be modeled as an IRP, which distribution mode is the most economic one for the German ports and which modal mix for the NH₃ supply leads to the greenest distribution. The results of this paper are empirically validated by data that were collected in several EU projects on sustainable supply chain management and green logistics. The paper includes a special section that is dedicated to the discussion of the economic turbulences related to the Ukrainian war together with their implications on maritime shipping.

Small and medium-sized ports (SMSPs) in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) are caught in a dilemma of less financial support by the European funding programmes due to their peripheral position in the TEN-T Core Network. Most of the BSR ports belong to the TEN-T Comprehensive Network, which is rationally less important in the topical financial, infrastructural and policy discourses. Despite this, BSR ports are of a colossal importance for the regional economic development serving as gateways for the individual regions and drivers of socio-economic and environmental transition. In addition, ports are essential in pursuing new innovation avenues. The environmental targets published by the European Commission for maritime sector in 2030 and 2050 are applicable for SMSPs as well, creating further obstacles and future challenges on the one hand, but opening new horizons to grow and innovate on the other one. A successful environmental and digital transformation going hand in hand in SMSPs enable sustainable boost of sustainable development. Thus, as a first step, the assessment of sustainable readiness in SMSPs is incumbent in order to implement tailor-made solutions on individual basis, by ensuring efficient usage of available resources and capabilities. In line with the Connect2SmallPorts project, part-financed by the INTERREG South Baltic Programme, 38 SMSPs in the BSR were approached to mapping their digital readiness according to the methodology of the Digital Readiness Index for Ports (DRIP), published within the project in 2020. Building upon this, this paper introduces the idea of digital and environmental twinning to conclude on sustainable development potentials in SMSPs with an adaptation of the DRIP score. Hence, the research contributes to the sustainable port concept and illustrates the positioning of SMSPs in the progress of sustainable development.

The Baltic Sea Region (BSR) stands for a flagship maritime region in Europe with dominating SME sector. Nevertheless, compared with other European regions, the cooperation and promotion activities of companies that belong to the Blue Economy in South Baltic Sea Region (SBSR) are not sufficient. As a response to this, the EU-project INTERMARE South Baltic aims to support the maritime economy in the SBSR by the creation of a network of companies and stakeholders. In line with the project, this study aims to analyse the future potential of the maritime economy and to identify trends that impact the sustainable development of the blue sector in SBSR. Based on primary data from a SBSR wide survey, descriptive statistical analysis is applied and Compound Annual Growth Rate is used as an indicator. The findings reveal need for actions regarding the sub-sectors Transport, Offshore oil & gas, Aquaculture, Fishery, Mineral resources and Biotechnology.