by Sofia Mavrikou1
Abstract
Maritime transport accounts for approximately 90% of global trade and plays a crucial role in the world economy. However, the maritime sector also contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, marine pollution, and ecosystem degradation, creating an urgent need for sustainable technological solutions. In recent years, biotechnology has attracted increasing attention as a multidisciplinary approach capable of addressing several environmental and operational challenges associated with maritime activities. This review explores the emerging role of biotechnology in promoting sustainable maritime shipping, with particular emphasis on biosensors, blue biotechnology, biofuels, bioremediation, and digital maritime technologies. Recent advances in marine biosensors have enabled rapid and real-time monitoring of pollutants, pathogens, and environmental parameters, supporting more effective marine ecosystem management. In parallel, microalgae-based biofuels and algal biohydrogen have emerged as promising renewable energy alternatives for maritime decarbonization. Biotechnology-based remediation strategies, including microbial bioremediation, offer environmentally sustainable approaches for the treatment of marine pollutants. Furthermore, blue biotechnology contributes to ballast water management, environmentally friendly antifouling technologies, and the development of novel marine value chains. The integration of biotechnology with artificial intelligence, autonomous shipping, and digital maritime technologies may further accelerate the transition toward safer, greener, and more sustainable maritime transportation systems.
Keywords: maritime biotechnology; blue biotechnology; biosensors; sustainable shipping; microalgae biofuels; bioremediation; ballast water management; biofouling; artificial intelligence; autonomous shipping.
Introduction
Around 90% of international freight is carried by maritime transport, which is the backbone of global trade. However, it also contributes considerably to global greenhouse gas emissions, marine pollution, and ecosystem disruptions. Nearly 3% of the world’s anthropogenic carbon emissions are currently attributed to the shipping sector, which has prompted international organizations and industry stakeholders to look for creative solutions that support environmental stewardship and sustainability. In this context, biotechnology has become a revolutionary scientific field that can solve many of the operational and environmental issues that the maritime sector faces1,2.
By connecting marine biological resources with industrial, environmental, and nautical applications, blue biotechnology has become a key component of the global blue economy. Marine biotechnology value chains in environmental monitoring, marine biomaterials, aquaculture, medicines, food production, and digital marine technologies have been highlighted as sectors with significant economic and technological promise by recent European and worldwide research. The integration of marine biological resources with biosensors, digital technologies, sustainable energy production, and environmental remediation strategies may contribute to the development of safer and more sustainable maritime transportation systems3,4.
Biosensors for Marine Environmental Monitoring
Environmental monitoring represents an important and rapidly evolving application of biotechnology in the maritime sector. Traditional monitoring approaches rely heavily on periodic sampling and laboratory analysis, which are often time-consuming, expensive, and unable to provide real-time information about marine ecosystems. In contrast, biosensors combine biological recognition elements with physical transducers, enabling rapid, sensitive, and continuous monitoring of marine environments5,6.
Although several technical limitations remain, recent advances in marine biosensor technologies have substantially expanded the range of detectable marine contaminants, including heavy metals, hydrocarbons, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, microplastics, pathogenic microorganisms, and emerging contaminants. Among the various biosensor platforms developed so far, electrochemical, optical, and microfluidic systems appear particularly promising for maritime applications because of their high sensitivity and relatively simple operation. In addition, these platforms often require only minimal sample preparation. These technologies can be integrated into autonomous underwater vehicles, smart buoys, ports, and ships, providing continuous environmental surveillance7,8.
Marine in situ biosensors have become essential tools for monitoring dissolved gases, nutrients, microorganisms, and environmental pollutants in real time. Their long-term deployment remains challenging due to biofouling, environmental variability, calibration requirements, and sensor stability limitations. Recent advances in microfluidics, antifouling materials, miniaturization technologies, and autonomous monitoring platforms are improving sensor robustness and expanding their applications in marine environments5,9.
Furthermore, the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms with biosensor platforms is attracting increasing research interest in marine monitoring applications. AI-assisted biosensors can analyze large datasets, predict environmental changes, optimize detection performance, and support autonomous decision-making systems. Although several technical challenges remain, including long-term sensor stability and deployment under harsh marine conditions, recent studies suggest that AI-assisted biosensors could significantly improve environmental monitoring capabilities. Future sensor networks may contribute substantially to the development of smart maritime ecosystems and more effective ocean governance frameworks1.
Marine Biotechnology for Sustainable Energy
The decarbonization of maritime transportation requires the development of sustainable and renewable fuel alternatives. Among the various bioenergy sources, microalgae are increasingly considered attractive feedstocks for sustainable maritime bioenergy production due to their high photosynthetic efficiency, rapid growth rates, carbon sequestration capacity, and ability to produce valuable biofuels without competing with food production10,11.
Microalgae can be utilized to produce biodiesel, bioethanol, biomethane, and biohydrogen. Advances in genetic engineering, synthetic biology, and omics technologies have improved lipid accumulation and biomass productivity in several microalgal species. Highly adaptable microalgal strains, combined with advanced photobioreactor systems, have improved the feasibility of large-scale cultivation and commercial implementation10. Despite their considerable potential, microalgae-based biofuels remain economically challenging due to high cultivation, harvesting, processing, and infrastructure costs. Consequently, their commercial implementation in maritime transportation remains limited.
Besides biodiesel and bioethanol production, algal biohydrogen has attracted considerable attention as a potential maritime fuel due to its renewable and carbon-neutral characteristics. While large-scale implementation remains challenging, recent studies indicate that artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms can optimize cultivation parameters, improve reactor performance, and enhance hydrogen production efficiency, accelerating the development of sustainable maritime energy systems12. Further technological development and large-scale validation studies will be required before algal biohydrogen can become a commercially viable maritime fuel.
Biotechnology-Based Marine Pollution Remediation
Marine pollution remains one of the most serious threats to ocean ecosystems and maritime sustainability. Oil spills, heavy metals, plastics, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and industrial contaminants accumulate in marine environments, causing long-term ecological and economic damage. Conventional remediation technologies often involve high costs and may produce secondary environmental impacts.
Bioremediation has attracted considerable attention as an environmentally sustainable approach for addressing marine pollution. This biotechnology-based approach utilizes the metabolic capabilities of microorganisms, algae, fungi, and their enzymatic systems to degrade, detoxify, transform, or immobilize a wide range of pollutants, including hydrocarbons, heavy metals, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and emerging contaminants. Among the most promising approaches are bioaugmentation and biostimulation, which enhance the activity of native microbial communities. Although bioremediation technologies offer significant environmental advantages compared with conventional remediation approaches, their performance under field conditions remains highly variable and strongly dependent on environmental factors, including temperature, nutrient availability, oxygen concentration, and pollutant bioavailability. Recent advances in marine biosensors and in situ monitoring technologies further support bioremediation strategies by enabling real-time assessment of contaminant levels and remediation performance in marine ecosystems5,7,8,13,14.
Several challenges remain regarding environmental variability, nutrient availability, oxygen supply, and large-scale implementation. Additional pilot-scale and field studies will be necessary to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of these remediation strategies.
Blue Biotechnology Applications in Shipping
Blue biotechnology has attracted increasing scientific and industrial interest due to its broad range of applications in maritime and marine sectors. Marine organisms provide a vast reservoir of bioactive compounds, biomaterials, enzymes, and biological mechanisms that can be exploited in numerous maritime applications3. However, many of these applications are still at relatively early stages of technological development.
Ballast water management remains a major environmental challenge for global shipping. Ballast water transfer constitutes one of the primary pathways for the global dissemination of invasive aquatic species and pathogenic microorganisms. According to recent studies, approximately 84% of global aquatic ecosystems have been affected by biological invasions due to ballast water transport. Although current ballast water management systems can reduce organism concentrations by more than 98%; compliance with the IMO D-2 standard remains inconsistent, particularly for organisms larger than 50 μm. Consequently, integrated treatment approaches combining physical, chemical, biological, and biosensor-based monitoring technologies are increasingly being investigated to ensure regulatory compliance and environmental protection15–17. Biosensors, environmental DNA technologies, and molecular diagnostics are expected to become essential tools for ballast water monitoring and management. Additional studies are still required to evaluate their long-term performance and practical implementation under operational maritime conditions.
Beyond environmental monitoring and ballast water treatment, blue biotechnology also contributes to the development of novel marine value chains. Recent European studies have identified marine biotechnology applications in aquaculture, environmental monitoring, marine biomaterials, pharmaceuticals, food production, and digital marine technologies as sectors with substantial economic and technological potential. These emerging value chains are expected to strengthen the transition toward a sustainable blue economy and support future maritime innovation ecosystems3,4.
Biofouling represents another persistent problem affecting maritime operations and environmental sustainability. Biofouling significantly increases fuel consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, maintenance costs, and environmental impacts. Traditional antifouling coatings often rely on toxic biocides that can adversely affect marine ecosystems. Consequently, researchers are increasingly investigating environmentally sustainable alternatives, including biomimetic coatings, natural bioactive compounds, antimicrobial peptides, nanomaterials, biomimetic surfaces, and nanostructured coatings, aiming to replace conventional toxic biocides18,19. Although marine-derived antifouling compounds and biomimetic surfaces have shown promising laboratory performance, challenges related to long-term effectiveness, scalability, regulatory approval, and commercialization remain unresolved.
The development of environmentally friendly antifouling technologies illustrates the growing interaction between marine biotechnology, materials science, and sustainable maritime engineering.
Digital Maritime Biotechnology and Future Perspectives
The integration of biotechnology with digital and autonomous technologies is expected to play an increasingly important role in the future development of sustainable maritime transportation. AI-driven optimization systems already contribute to fuel efficiency, predictive maintenance, route optimization, emissions reduction, and environmental monitoring1. Additional validation studies and technological development will be required before widespread industrial implementation can be achieved.
Furthermore, emerging digital technologies, including blockchain, digital twins, smart ports, and Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS), are expected to reshape maritime governance and environmental management. Autonomous vessels equipped with biosensors, environmental monitoring platforms, and AI-based decision support systems could reduce environmental impacts while improving operational efficiency and maritime safety. However, the successful implementation of these technologies will require harmonized international regulatory frameworks capable of balancing technological innovation with environmental sustainability and maritime safety1,2,20.
Conclusions
Recent advances suggest that biotechnology may contribute substantially to the sustainable transformation of the maritime sector through applications in environmental monitoring, renewable energy production, pollution remediation, ballast water management, and biofouling prevention. Biosensors enable real-time environmental surveillance, microalgae offer promising pathways toward sustainable fuels, and microbial technologies provide environmentally friendly remediation strategies. Furthermore, advances in artificial intelligence, digital technologies, and autonomous shipping systems are accelerating the transition toward greener and more resilient maritime transportation.
Although substantial scientific, technological, economic, and regulatory challenges remain, current evidence suggests that continued advances in biotechnology and digital technologies could substantially contribute to the development of more sustainable and environmentally responsible maritime transportation systems1,4.
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1 Laboratory of Cell Technology, Department of Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens, 75 Iera Odos st. 11855, Athens, Greece
