Multi-criteria decision-making for green maritime transportation: A hybrid Fuzzy AHP-MOORA approach to reduce marine pollution

The maritime industry faces increasing pressure to adopt sustainable transportation solutions due to stringent IMO regulations and growing environmental concerns. However, a lack of structured, multi-criteria decision-making frameworks limits the ability to objectively prioritize alternative green maritime strategies. This study addresses this gap by integrating Fuzzy AHP for criteria weighting and MOORA for alternative ranking, providing a quantitative and transparent evaluation model. The results show that CO₂ emissions reduction (25.4 %) and energy efficiency (20.1 %) are the most critical factors, while economic considerations, such as implementation costs (8.5 %) and operational costs (7.2 %), were ranked lower. The MOORA ranking identifies energy-efficient vessel designs (score: 0.85) as the most effective strategy, followed by hydrogen and ammonia-based fuels (0.81). LNG and biofuels (0.72) serve as transitional solutions, while wind-assisted propulsion (0.69) and emission control technologies (0.62) exhibit operational limitations. A sensitivity analysis confirmed the rankings' robustness, reinforcing the decision model's stability. This study provides a data-driven foundation for policymakers and industry stakeholders, guiding the adoption of sustainable maritime strategies based on scientifically validated rankings.