The literature reviewed in this article shows that the evolution of vehicles is in line with the evolution of animal locomotion and that it is predictable from the constructal law of design and evolution in nature. The evolution of ships and airplanes illustrates the evolutionary design of the “human-and-machine species” as it moves and spreads on Earth: farther, faster, more efficiently, and with greater lasting power (sustainability). Every vehicle size has its design. The bigger vehicle is not a magnified facsimile of the smaller. The size fraction that the lifting organs occupy in the overall vehicle increases with the body size. Every vehicle size has its niche, the supporting territory, and population to which it belongs. All the designs of movement on the globe evolve. Vehicles do not evolve by themselves; they evolve hand in glove with the humans who design and use them. The result is hierarchy, and it is why hierarchy is natural and unavoidable. We see it in geophysical movement (river basins), animal movement (food chain), human social movement (global air and maritime traffic), and everywhere else. The appearance of a new hierarchical design of movement on earth does not eliminate the existing hierarchical designs of movement. The new hierarchy joins the old, and what works is kept. No evolving system deviates from the features dictated by the law of physics of evolution in nature.

Thermodynamics is a universal science. The language of thermodynamics is energy and its derivatives such as entropy and power. The physical theory of thermodynamics reigns across a full spectrum of non-living objects as well as living beings. In the traditions of the past, the dichotomy between matter and life resulted in the natural sciences studying matter while the social sciences focused on living beings. As the state of human knowledge continues to evolve, anticipating the sciences of matter (natural science) and of life (social science) becoming unified under a single overarching theory is not unnatural. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Thermodynamics 2.0: Bridging the natural and social sciences (Part 1)’.

Great importance is had in understanding the current situation of maritime transport and making predictions about its future. Maritime transport is an essential part of transportation, and correctly predicting installed main engine power has great significance in maritime transport with regard to fuel consumption and the generation of emissions. Nonlinear regression is a method with great potential in making predictions, as it allows for more realistic models to be developed using multiple variables. Vessels' dimensions of carrying capacity, gross tonnage, length, and breadth significantly impact the required main engine power. This article will calculate and estimate the installed main engine power for bulk carriers through nonlinear regression using data for the as yet highest number of bulk carriers (n = 9,174 ships) and compare the results with the studies in the literature. The developed model has an accuracy of 93.2% for six different bulk carrier types (Small, Handysize, Handymax, Panamax, Capesize, and Large Capesize). In addition, the study calculates the emissions these ships produce (NOx, SO2, CO2, HC, PM), estimating and demonstrating a nonlinear linear regression model for these ships' emission amounts. The performed analyses have found the main engine power required per unit of load to decrease as ship size increases. However, these analyses also show the emissions generated per unit of load to decrease as size increases, with Large Capesize vessels being found to have the lowest fuel consumption and emission generation per unit of load.