The digital transformation of port infrastructure is a key element in the evolution towards Smart Ports and Industry 4.0. This paper presents an optimized port asset management system based on Digital Twin technology and BIM/GIS integration, aiming to enhance efficiency, sustainability, and decision-making in port operations. The proposed system leverages real-time data acquisition, predictive maintenance, and resource optimization, addressing critical challenges in port asset lifecycle management. By integrating Digital Twin models with Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, cloud computing, and machine learning algorithms, this approach enables data-driven decision-making, which improves operational performance and minimizes costs. The Frankenstein Strategy is introduced as an innovative methodology for port digitalization, allowing incremental integration of digital twins into existing infrastructures. The results demonstrate that this system provides enhanced asset monitoring, optimized maintenance planning, and increased operational resilience, contributing to the automation and optimization of production processes in Industry 4.0. This research highlights the potential of Digital Twin technology to revolutionize port asset management, establishing a framework for smart, data-driven, and sustainable port operations.

This research explores the role of innovation in fostering sustainability within the Spanish Port System, emphasizing its implications for transport infrastructure. It examines the intersection of innovation and sustainability, addressing key challenges such as maritime traffic growth, energy efficiency, waste management, and community integration. It identifies opportunities for technological advancements, collaborative initiatives, and circular economy strategies that contribute to the sustainable development of port infrastructure. The findings highlight the necessity of implementing innovative solutions to enhance operational efficiency, mitigate environmental impact, and strengthen stakeholder engagement. The application of advanced technologies and cooperative frameworks among port stakeholders emerges as a critical driver for achieving sustainability objectives within maritime transport systems.

The Blue Economy is a relatively new concept. In 2010, Günter Pauli coined this term to refer to an economic development where a waste is raw material for a process, using the cycles of the natural world as an example. Currently, the Blue Economy is a much more broad and transversal concept and is strongly related to maritime economic sectors, from maritime transport to off-shore renewable energies through port operations. In short, the Blue Economy encompasses classic sectors such as shipbuilding together with more innovative concepts in the ports, such as digitalization, innovation, or energy transition. In this research, a new tool is developed which, as its main objective, can obtain a degree of implementation of the dimensions of the Blue Economy in Spanish ports through the evaluation of each of the economic sectors that constitute the B.E. in the 28 Spanish port authorities. To this end, a Delphi panel has been used to determine the importance of each economic dimension, a database has also been generated to determine the state of development of these dimensions in each port, and some equations have been developed to determine in base 100 how developed each port is. The results obtained show a notable development in the average of Spanish ports, highlighting Las Palmas as the port that has most developed the Blue Economy.

The fight against climate change is one of the main global challenges of our time, and the European Union (EU) seeks to achieve climate neutrality and energy transition for the continent by 2050 through various policies. This research studies the economic implications of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) on European ports. By analysing various maritime scenarios, the study assesses how the ETS influences shipping routes, port competitiveness, and overall economic activity. A key finding is that the ETS imposes significant additional costs on shipping companies, which could lead to adjustments in routes and a shift in cargo volumes to ports in regions with less stringent environmental regulations. This could result in job losses in European port communities and reduce the competitiveness of European ports. In addition, the potential for carbon leakage, where shipping activities are simply relocated to regions with fewer emission controls, is explored.

This study presents a structured multi-agent system (MAS) architecture aimed at optimizing operational efficiency in roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) terminal management through intelligent coordination and decentralized decision-making. The proposed framework enhances space allocation, route planning, traffic control, and boarding coordination, enabling real-time decision-making and adaptive operational strategies. Through structured MAS architecture, agents interact dynamically to optimize vehicle flow, reducing congestion and improving overall efficiency. The study evaluates the system’s potential benefits compared to traditional port management models, highlighting improvements in transit time reduction, resource utilization, and operational resilience. The findings suggest that MAS-based automation can enhance decision-making, sustainability, and integration with Industry 4.0 paradigms, driving the transition toward intelligent, efficient, and scalable port logistics.

Environmental concerns have become important in the shipbuilding industry. The concept of the Blue Economy was linked to a new model of economic development based on regeneration, where the production of waste is seen as the possibility of creating a new activity, product, and employment. Nowadays, when we talk about the Blue Economy, it is from a much more transversal perspective, deeply linked to the maritime economic sectors. The aim is to develop these coastal productive sectors from a socially, economically and environmentally sustainable point of view. Due to the great development that the Blue Economy has experienced in recent years, it is considered appropriate to carry out a study of this economic model in the port sector. For this reason, this article analyses the Spanish port system, determining the most important dimensions for measuring the degree of development of the Blue Economy and indicators for each of them. It is concluded that the main emerging sectors in the Blue Economy are biotechnology, research and education, sustainable infrastructures and gastronomy and tradition. The final result of this article is the development of a tool which, by introducing certain data, provides the degree of implementation or development of the Blue Economy both at a general level for the port and at a specific level for each dimension.