Digital twin applications for maritime decarbonization: A bibliometric analysis of research trends and emerging themes
4. Bilsel Uluslararası Midas Bilimsel Araştırmalar Kongresi, Eskişehir, Türkiye, 27 - 28 Haziran 2026, ss.1-10, (Tam Metin Bildiri)
- Yayın Türü: Bildiri / Tam Metin Bildiri
- Basıldığı Şehir: Eskişehir
- Basıldığı Ülke: Türkiye
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1-10
- Galatasaray Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
The maritime industry is undergoing
a significant transformation driven by increasingly stringent decarbonization
targets and the rapid adoption of digital technologies. Among these
technologies, digital twins have emerged as a promising tool for enhancing
operational efficiency, supporting predictive maintenance, and facilitating
data-driven decision-making in maritime systems. Despite the growing interest
in digital twin applications, the intellectual structure and research evolution
of this field remain insufficiently explored. This study aims to examine the
development of research on digital twin applications supporting maritime
decarbonization through a bibliometric analysis. A dataset consisting of 102
English-language articles and review papers indexed in the Scopus database was
compiled using a structured search strategy. Bibliometric mapping was conducted
using VOSviewer to identify publication trends, influential research themes,
and relationships among author keywords. The analysis revealed a substantial
increase in publication activity in recent years, indicating growing academic
and industrial interest in the topic. Keyword co-occurrence analysis identified
several major thematic clusters, including operational optimization and energy
efficiency, artificial intelligence-supported monitoring and predictive
maintenance, maritime decarbonization and digitalization, smart maritime
infrastructure, and sustainability-oriented simulation applications. The
findings suggest that digital twin research in the maritime sector is
increasingly integrated with machine learning, artificial intelligence, and
energy efficiency studies, highlighting its role as an enabling technology for
decarbonization strategies. Furthermore, the results indicate that research on digital
twins is evolving from asset monitoring applications toward broader
sustainability and emissions-reduction objectives. This study provides an
overview of the current research landscape and identifies emerging directions
for future investigations in digital twin-enabled maritime decarbonization.