A Global Analysis of Emissions, Decarbonization, and Alternative Fuels in Inland Navigation—A Systematic Literature Review

In response to the pressing need for transportation decarbonization, this paper examines often overlooked domain of inland waterway transport and seeks answer which alternative fuel or power source is most promising that sector. As shipping industry significantly contributes global carbon emissions, it has been shifting towards fuels decarbonization measures in effort reduce them, whereas waterways, operating predominantly on diesel engines, have not achieved equivalent substantial progress. Employing a systematic literature review regional analysis, study identifies notable trends. LNG initially emerged as favored fuel, but recent studies emphasize shift “greener” solutions like batteries hydrogen. Europe Asia lead these developments. This investigation uncovers critical gaps research development, particularly Northern European countries extensive networks. It also calls future explore performance vessels adopted compared other emerging alternatives emphasizes importance considering time lag between technology development publication.