Prioritizing sustainable port strategies for IMO 2030 compliance: A DEMATEL-ANP-based policy framework

The study develops a systems-based decision framework to prioritise sustainable port management measures within the framework of the 2023 International Maritime Organization (IMO) Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Strategy and Annex 15. Using an integrated DEMATEL–ANP approach, causal relationships among nineteen port-level measures were identified, and their relative priorities were systematically evaluated across five dimensions: infrastructural transformation, global port development, capacity building, inter-sectoral collaboration, and green and low-carbon innovation. The DEMATEL results reveal that governance and collaboration clusters exert the strongest causal influence on the network, while financial and technical support mechanisms act as key driving enablers. The ANP results indicate that port modernisation for GHG reduction, storage capacity for low-carbon fuels, and joint emission reduction programmes hold the highest overall priorities, reflecting their systemic leverage in accelerating port-level decarbonisation. Based on these findings, the paper contributes to maritime decarbonisation research and policy practice in three tangible ways: (i) it reframes the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy and Annex 15 from a port governance perspective, providing a structured five-cluster framework that operationalises nineteen port-focused measures; (ii) it advances methodological practice by integrating DEMATEL and ANP to quantify interdependencies and derive robust, internally consistent prioritisation outcomes; and (iii) it delivers an evidence-based decision-support tool that identifies the most influential decarbonisation levers particularly port modernisation, fuel storage infrastructure, and joint emission reduction schemes offering concrete guidance for policymakers, port authorities, and climate finance institutions in directing limited resources toward high-impact interventions.