Proceedings of the 2nd International Maritime Research, Education, and Training Conference

The maritime sector is currently evolving, with environmental targets, new technologies, changing patterns of trade, and growing attention to the human element all influencing how maritime activities are organised and managed. This year’s conference papers examine these developments from different perspectives. Together, they show that the future of maritime transport depends not only on technological progress, but also on people, sound governance, safe operations, and the ability of the sector to adapt to changing conditions. The conference brought together participants from academia, industry, regulatory authorities, and maritime enforcement bodies, reflecting the value of examining these challenges from the perspectives of all the sector’s key stakeholders.

The importance of the human element is strongly represented in this volume. Slišković examines seafarers’ well-being and argues for a move beyond managing individual stress towards creating healthier maritime organisations. The study connects supportive organisational culture, working conditions, employee participation, and well-being with safety, performance, and organisational resilience. Ragab et al., approach the human element from another direction by examining the demands created by the maritime green transition. The contribution highlights how new environmental requirements can increase administrative workload, cognitive demands, and operational complexity for seafarers.

Two contributions focus on dhow shipping, an important form of regional maritime transport that remains less visible in mainstream maritime research. Prasad compares dhow trade with liner and tramp shipping and shows how stakeholders’ relationships and trust perform functions that are normally supported by more formal documentation in conventional shipping. The study demonstrates both the commercial flexibility of this system and the challenges it creates for traceability, insurance, finance, and regulatory oversight. Lendjel places dhow operations within their wider commercial and geographical setting, showing their role in connecting smaller coastal markets and operating in areas where conventional shipping may have a more limited presence. Analysis also draws attention to the safety and security questions surrounding these operations and to the need for further research that recognises their particular operating context.

Sustainability is considered at both the port and ship-technology levels by Metwalli et al., who examine the potential of ports to act as Blue Economy hubs. Their study identifies progress in areas such as pollution control, emissions reduction, and environmental management, while also showing continuing differences in governance, monitoring capacity, and technological integration between regions. At the engineering level, Rawashdea explores the optimisation of fuel cells for maritime applications. The study considers how modifications to the microporous layer can improve efficiency, water management, and durability under marine operating conditions, contributing to the wider search for reliable low-emission energy technologies.

A common message emerges as maritime resilience cannot be achieved through a single technology, regulation, or management approach. It requires attention to the people who work at sea, the commercial systems through which maritime transport operates, the safety of both conventional and non-conventional activities, the changing role of ports, and the technologies needed for a lower-emission future. Research has an important role in understanding the relationships between these areas and in ensuring that change is informed by evidence as well as operational experience. The second IMRET conference provided a forum for bringing these perspectives together. These proceedings reflect an ongoing dialogue between research and maritime practice and demonstrate the value of bringing different disciplines, institutions, and professional experiences into the same discussion. As editors, we hope that the work presented here supports further research, cooperation, and informed debate on how the maritime sector can develop in ways that are safer, more sustainable, and more resilient.