Driving sustainability in maritime transport with agent-based simulations

28 January, 2025

  • The use of agent-based simulations reveals that targeted incentive policies can multiply the adoption of green technologies in the shipping sector, reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Innovative model shows that encouraging the adoption of wind technologies with targeted policies not only reduces emissions from shipping, but also ensures a fairer and more efficient allocation of resources.

Maritime transport is a fundamental pillar of the global economy, but also one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases. Although technological improvements have been implemented in recent years, reducing emissions in this sector is still a pending challenge. A new research project led by the DaSCI institute of the University of Granada proposes an innovative approach to boost sustainability: designing more effective and fairer incentives to encourage the adoption of wind technologies in the offshore industry.

The research focuses on wind-assisted propulsion, a technology that combines energy efficiency with lower environmental impact. The researchers have developed a model based on agent simulations to assess how different incentive policies influence the adoption of these technologies. These simulations analyse key factors such as technological knowledge, economic costs and the dynamics of social networking among shipowners.

Image of the Scandlines ship with the wind turbine model used in the study.

Smart incentives: beyond uniform distribution

The study highlights that selective incentives, targeting a strategic group of adopters, are significantly more effective than uniform subsidy policies. Simulations showed that targeting subsidies based on criteria such as energy consumption and social activity of recipients can multiply adoption rates, optimising the impact of available budgets.

‘Our approach aims not only to accelerate the adoption of green technologies, but also to ensure that resource allocation decisions are more objective and fair,’ says Professor Sergio Damas.

Agent-based simulations: a key tool for objective decisions

The developed model uses a three-phase process to simulate stakeholder interactions and decisions, integrating data on economic, social and technological behaviour. This approach allows different implementation scenarios to be explored and incentive strategies to be optimised based on the results obtained.

Experiments confirm that targeting policies based on social and energy data are not only more effective, but also foster structural change in technology adoption networks, creating cascading effects that benefit the sector as a whole. This work has been derived from Dr. Elena Romero’s doctoral thesis research ‘Explainable Artificial Intelligence techniques for agent-based modelling’.

 Autors Sergio Damas, Elena Romero and Manuel Chica

A commitment to sustainability in maritime transport

This project, which combines science, innovation and sustainability, opens up new opportunities to transform the maritime industry. Promoting the use of wind-assisted propulsion technologies not only reduces greenhouse gas emissions, but also drives the transition to more efficient and responsible transport.

‘The future of maritime transport depends on the implementation of policies that not only encourage innovation, but are also economically and socially sustainable,’ concludes Professor Manuel Chica.

The Andalusian Inter-University Institute in Data Science and Computational Intelligence, known as DaSCI Institute, is a collaborative entity between the universities of Granada, Jaén and Córdoba. It is dedicated to advanced research and training in the field of Artificial Intelligence, with a particular focus on Data Science and Computational Intelligence. The institute brings together an outstanding group of researchers working on joint projects, promoting the development and application of innovative technologies in various sectors. With the aim of becoming a benchmark in its field, the DaSCI promotes the transfer of scientific knowledge to the socio-economic environment, thus contributing to technological progress and the digitisation of industry. https://dasci.es/es/

Romero, Elena and Chica, Manuel and Hermann, Roberto Rivas and Damas, Sergio, Targeting incentives to adopt wind-assisted technologies in shipping by agent-based simulations (July 11, 2024). Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, volume 138, 2025[10.1016/j.trd.2024.104511]

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