A COMPREHENSIVE FRAMEWORK FOR PRIORITIZING FUEL ALTERNATIVES IN SUSTAINABLE MARITIME TRANSPORT USING INTEGRATED AHP-VIKOR METHODS
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https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9926-2099
Ayşe Arvas
Emirhan Tarhan
İlayda Gül Gül
Abstract
Maritime transportation enables the transportation of large quantities of goods across the globe at low costs. A significant portion of global transportation takes place via sea routes. For this reason, maritime transportation also holds an important place in the global economy. However, the widespread use of traditional fossil fuels in the maritime sector leads to the emission of harmful substances such as carbon dioxide (CO₂), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and sulfur oxides (SOx) into the environment, posing a threat to human health and marine life. In order to minimize these effects, the maritime sector needs a sustainable transformation. International regulations, the limited availability of fossil fuels, high fuel costs, and societal pressures have increased the shift towards alternative fuels. In this study, fuel alternatives used in the maritime sector such as heavy fuel oil (HFO), marine diesel oil (MDO), liquefied natural gas (LNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), electricity, hydrogen, methanol, and ammonia are evaluated in terms of sustainability using integrated AHP VIKOR methods. According to the obtained results, electricity has been identified as the most suitable alternative for achieving sustainability in the maritime sector due to its high energy efficiency, low carbon emissions, and ease of maintenance. Hydrogen, methanol, and ammonia, which stand out with their zero carbon emission feature, are considered among the alternative fuels that can be evaluated in the long term. Due to their ability to reduce negative environmental impacts, improve energy efficiency, and be economically viable in the long run, alternative fuels come to the forefront in sustainable maritime transportation. In this context, the study contributes to the promotion of sustainability in the maritime sector.
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sustainable, maritime industry, AHP, VIKOR
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