Muhamad Sa uan Shamshol Bah i; Sha i , S. Sa i ah Radiah; Naz y Yahya
A icle
Sus ainable po ope a ions and en i onmen al ini ia i es
in Malaysia: A ocus on en i onmen al sus ainabili y
Asian Jou nal o Shipping and Logis ics (AJSL)
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
Ko ean Associa ion o Shipping and Logis ics, Seoul
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Muhamad Sa uan Shamshol Bah i; Sha i , S. Sa i ah Radiah; Naz y Yahya (2025) :
Sus ainable po ope a ions and en i onmen al ini ia i es in Malaysia: A ocus on en i onmen al
sus ainabili y, Asian Jou nal o Shipping and Logis ics (AJSL), ISSN 2352-4871, Else ie , Ams e dam,
Vol. 41, Iss. 1, pp. 38-51,
h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.ajsl.2025.01.002
This Ve sion is a ailable a :
h ps://hdl.handle.ne /10419/329755
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Sus ainable po ope a ions and en i onmen al ini ia i es in Malaysia: A
ocus on en i onmen al sus ainabili y
Muhamad Sa uan Shamshol Bah i
a
, S.Sa i ah Radiah Sha i
a,b,*
, Naz y Yahya
c
a
Malaysia Ins i u e o T anspo (MITRANS), Uni e si i Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam, Malaysia
b
School o Ma hema ical Sciences, College o Compu ing, In o ma ic and Ma hema ics, Uni e si i Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam, Malaysia
c
Joho Po Skills Cen e, Malaysia
ARTICLE INFO
Keywo ds:
Sus ainable po
Po pe o mance
Sus ainable po ini ia i es
ABSTRACT
Sus ainable po g ow h emains a majo conce n in Asia and he Paci ic, whe e mo e han hal o he busies
po s a e loca ed and whe e wo- hi ds o he wo ld’s ma i ime ade is now concen a ed. Mos po s con inue o
s i e o imp o e hei pe o mance and p oduc i i y o compe e wi h he g owing olume o sea ade, as well as
he quali y o hei inland connec ions. A he same ime, a ious ai and wa e pollu an s, as well as o he
ha m ul en i onmen al ex e nali ies caused by po ac i i ies, he Po also needs o add ess u gen en i on-
men al issues o ensu e he sus ainabili y o his sea ade. In his s udy, he essen ial elemen s o sus ainable po
ope a ions a e explo ed h ough a comp ehensi e sys ema ic li e a u e e iew, which is no jus a collec ion o
exis ing s udies, bu i also analyzes and syn hesizes a ious app oaches o e alua e po pe o mance om an
en i onmen al sus ainabili y pe spec i e. The ansi ion om heo y o p ac ice, in he second pa h ough he
ocus g oup discussion o his s udy, has analyzed he iews o he managemen o some leading Po s in Malaysia
o unde s and how he concep o sus ainabili y heo y is implemen ed in p ac ical si ua ions. The esul s o his
s udy p o ide a de ailed iew o he en i onmen al ini ia i es and s a egies implemen ed by in e ac ing wi h
hose di ec ly in ol ed in he ope a ion and managemen o Malaysian po s. I eco ds he challenges, successes
and ambi ions o Malaysian po s in hei e o s owa ds sus ainabili y.
1. In oduc ion
Sus ainable po ope a ions ha e become a c i ical p io i y in global
ma i ime logis ics, as po s se e as key hubs o in e na ional ade
while con ibu ing signi ican ly o en i onmen al challenges. A ound
he wo ld, po s a e inc easingly adop ing g een ini ia i es aimed a
educing ca bon emissions, imp o ing ene gy e iciency, and mini-
mizing hei ecological impac . This g owing ocus on sus ainabili y
e lec s a global ecogni ion ha po s as indus ial and logis ical cen es
mus enhance hei en i onmen al pe o mance o mi iga e he nega i e
e ec s o hei ac i i ies on su ounding ecosys ems and communi ies.
Malaysia as home o se e al s a egically loca ed po s, plays a
pi o al ole in Sou heas Asia’s ma i ime indus y. As such, he coun y’s
po s a e also emb acing sus ainabili y p ac ices o ensu e hey emain
compe i i e and complian wi h global en i onmen al s anda ds. Majo
po s such as Kuan an, Penang, and Klang a e implemen ing g een po
ini ia i es, e lec ing Malaysia’s b oade na ional commi men o sus-
ainabili y, including i s Na ional G een Technology Policy. Howe e ,
he adop ion and e ec i eness o hese ini ia i es a y, p esen ing bo h
challenges and oppo uni ies in achie ing a g eene po indus y.
This pape seeks o e alua e sus ainable po pe o mance om
Malaysian pe spec i es. The i s sec ion p esen s a sys ema ic e iew o
he global li e a u e on en i onmen ally sus ainable po pe o mance
and e alua ion. This e iew c i ically examines key amewo ks, me h-
odologies, and indica o s used wo ldwide o assess sus ainabili y in
po s, iden i ying ends and gaps in cu en knowledge. I p o ides a
comp ehensi e iew o how po s ac oss he globe a e ackling sus-
ainabili y challenges, which se s he con ex o unde s anding Malay-
sia’s posi ion wi hin his global landscape.
The second sec ion ansi ions om global heo y o local p ac ice,
ocusing on sus ainabili y e o s wi hin Malaysian po s. Th ough ocus
g oup discussions wi h senio managemen a Malaysia’s majo po s,
he s udy explo es how global sus ainabili y p inciples a e being
implemen ed a he ope a ional le el. The discussions p o ide aluable
insigh s in o he challenges aced by Malaysian po s in adop ing sus-
ainable p ac ices, he successes hey ha e achie ed, and hei s a egic
* Co esponding au ho a : Malaysia Ins i u e o T anspo (MITRANS), Uni e si i Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam, Malaysia.
E-mail add esses: [email p o ec ed], [email p o ec ed] (S.Sa i ahR. Sha i ).
Con en s lis s a ailable a ScienceDi ec
The Asian Jou nal o Shipping and Logis ics
jou nal homepage: www.else ie .com/loca e/ajsl
h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j.ajsl.2025.01.002
Recei ed 16 Ap il 2024; Recei ed in e ised o m 7 No embe 2024; Accep ed 27 Janua y 2025
The Asian Jou nal o Shipping and Logis ics 41 (2025) 38–51
A ailable online 11 Feb ua y 2025
2092-5212/© 2025 The Au ho (s). Published by Else ie B.V. on behal o The Ko ean Associa ion o Shipping and Logis ics, Inc. This is an open access a icle unde
he CC BY-NC-ND license ( h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ ).
goals o he u u e.
By combining insigh s om he sys ema ic li e a u e e iew and
ocus g oup discussions, his pape aims o quan i y he e ec i eness o
sus ainabili y ini ia i es in Malaysian po s and p o ide ac ionable
ecommenda ions. These insigh s a e in ended o in o m policymake s,
indus y p ac i ione s, and academics on how o u he d i e sus ain-
able de elopmen in Malaysia’s po sec o while aligning wi h global
bes p ac ices.
2. Li e a u e e iew
2.1. Global con ex o sus ainable po pe o mance
Sus ainable po pe o mance is an inc easingly impo an opic in
global ma i ime logis ics. The concep in ol es minimizing he nega i e
en i onmen al impac s o po ope a ions while main aining o
imp o ing ope a ional e iciency. Globally, a ious amewo ks, me h-
odologies, and e alua ion indica o s ha e been de eloped o assess he
sus ainabili y o po s. A sys ema ic li e a u e e iew by Lim e al.
(2019) iden i ied se e al key app oaches o e alua ing po sus ain-
abili y including he de elopmen o g een pe o mance indica o s,
ca bon emission educ ion s a egies, and he adop ion o enewable
ene gy echnologies in po s. Ano he comp ehensi e e iew by (Tijan
e al., 2021), which discusses he signi ican ole o po au ho i ies in
go e nance and implemen ing sys ems ha enhance sus ainabili y in
po ope a ions.
Howe e , while much o he global esea ch ocuses on la ge,
de eloped po s in No h Ame ica and Eu ope, he e has been inc easing
in e es in unde s anding how po s in de eloping coun ies, such as
hose in Sou heas Asia a e add essing sus ainabili y challenges. This is
pa icula ly ele an o Malaysia, whe e po s a e c ucial o he na ional
economy and ade. The e o e, i is essen ial o e iew he ini ia i es
unde aken by Malaysian po s o align wi h global sus ainabili y ends.
2.2. Sus ainabili y in Malaysian po s: key s udies
In Malaysia, se e al po s including Kuan an, Penang, and Klang a e
ac i ely pu suing sus ainable ini ia i es. These e o s e lec a b oade
na ional s a egy o align wi h he Sus ainable De elopmen Goals
(SDGs) and con ibu e o Malaysia’s Na ional G een Technology Policy.
2.2.1. Po pe o mance and en i onmen al impac in Asia and Malaysia
S udies examining he en i onmen al pe o mance o Malaysian
po s highligh bo h he challenges and successes in achie ing sus ain-
abili y. Salleh e al. (2020) explo ed how Malaysian po s ha e adop ed
Lean, Agile, Resilience, and G een (LARG) pa adigms in supply chain
ope a ions. Thei s udy ound ha while po s like Klang and Penang
ha e made signi ican s ides in implemen ing g een p ac ices, he e a e
s ill conside able challenges in ully in eg a ing en i onmen al sus-
ainabili y in o ope a ional pe o mance.
Ano he impo an s udy by Li n e al. (2013), p o ides a comp e-
hensi e g een pe o mance amewo k o sus ainable po s in Asia
ocusing on majo po s which is China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. I
iden i ies key en i onmen al pe o mance indica o s (EPIs) such as
ca bon emissions, ene gy consump ion, and was e managemen which
a e c i ical o enhancing he sus ainabili y o po s. These indica o s
ha e been employed o measu e he o e all g een pe o mance o po s
in Asia.
2.2.2. Challenges and ba ie s in achie ing sus ainabili y
Despi e e o s o implemen sus ainabili y ini ia i es, se e al chal-
lenges hinde he ull-scale adop ion o g een p ac ices in Malaysian
po s. Resea ch by Md Sap y e al.(2020) highligh s he G een Po
Ini ia i e a Joho Po , which e ealed signi ican gaps in communi-
ca ion and awa eness among po s a , leading o lowe le els o
commi men owa d en i onmen al objec i es. These challenges
indica e he need o mo e e ec i e aining p og ams and mechanisms
o moni o he success o g een policies.
Simila ly, Bin Ib ahim e al. (2023) explo ed sus ainable g een po
p ac ices a No hpo Malaysia, emphasizing he ole o egula o y
amewo ks and benchma king as c i ical ools o main aining en i-
onmen al pe o mance. Thei s udy sugges s ha while e o s a e being
made, he absence o s ingen and cohesi e egula ions c ea es in-
consis encies in sus ainabili y p ac ices ac oss di e en po s.
Beleya e al. (2015) u he co obo a es his by discussing how
Malaysian seapo s a e wo king o align wi h global sus ainabili y
ends, bu egula o y challenges and inconsis encies in policy en o ce-
men con inue o be majo obs acles. They poin ou ha while some
seapo s a e p og essing owa d sus ainable de elopmen , he lack o
comp ehensi e egula ions impedes he widesp ead adop ion o g een
p ac ices.
Ano he challenge is he limi ed in eg a ion o enewable ene gy,
pa ly due o space cons ain s and aging in as uc u e. Penang Po , o
ins ance has encoun e ed di icul ies in ins alling oo op sola sys ems
because o s uc u al limi a ions in i s olde acili ies (Penang Po
Commission, 2023). Addi ionally, he slow pace o echnological up-
g ades and he high cos o new equipmen pose signi ican inancial
ba ie s o po s aiming o ansi ion o g eene echnologies.
2.2.3. Oppo uni ies o imp o emen
Despi e hese challenges, he e a e signi ican oppo uni ies o
Malaysian po s o enhance hei sus ainabili y e o s. Collabo a ion
be ween go e nmen agencies and p i a e s akeholde s, as well as
inc eased in es men in enewable ene gy echnologies could accele a e
he ansi ion owa ds g eene po s. A s udy by Di Vaio and Va iale
(2018) emphasized he impo ance o adop ing managemen inno a ion
s a egies and c ea ing pe o mance-based incen i es o encou age po s
o adop ene gy-e icien echnologies. This app oach could be pa icu-
la ly bene icial o Malaysian po s, whe e inancial and egula o y
suppo could help o e come he cu en challenges.
Mo eo e , in eg a ing digi al echnologies and au oma ion in o po
ope a ions p esen s a signi ican oppo uni y o imp o ing bo h ope -
a ional e iciency and en i onmen al pe o mance in Malaysian po s.
The adop ion o sma po echnologies such as digi al moni o ing
sys ems and he In e ne o Things (IoT) has al eady demons a ed i s
po en ial o op imize ope a ions and educe emissions in o he egions.
Yau e al. (2020) emphasize ha sma po s u ilize in o ma ion and
communica ion echnologies o imp o e esou ce managemen , helping
po s educe g eenhouse gas emissions while main aining compe i i e-
ness. Simila ly, Philipp e al. (2021) highligh how au oma ion and
enewable ene gy echnologies can be in eg a ed in o po ope a ions o
suppo g een po ini ia i es which is di ec ly applicable o Malaysia as
i seeks o enhance sus ainabili y h ough he mode niza ion o i s po s.
Fu he mo e, D’Amico e al. (2021) discuss how digi aliza ion h ough
he use o AI, Big Da a, and eal- ime moni o ing can op imize po lo-
gis ics making i easie o educe esou ce was e and emissions in po
ci ies. As po s wo ldwide inc easingly adop hese echnologies,
Malaysia has he po en ial o ollow sui , le e aging sma po solu ions
o imp o e i s en i onmen al oo p in and enhance ope a ional
capabili ies.
3. Me hodology
This sec ion ou lines he esea ch me hodologies employed o e al-
ua e sus ainable po pe o mance h ough a sys ema ic li e a u e e-
iew (SLR) and ocus g oup discussions wi h key s akeholde s in
Malaysian po s. The wo app oaches we e used in andem o ensu e a
comp ehensi e unde s anding o bo h heo e ical and p ac ical pe -
spec i es on sus ainabili y ini ia i es in he Malaysian po sec o .
M.S.S. Bah i e al.
The Asian Jou nal o Shipping and Logis ics 41 (2025) 38–51
39
3.1. Sys ema ic li e a u e e iew (SLR)
A sys ema ic li e a u e e iew is a esea ch echnique ha ies o
loca e, assess, and syn hesise all he li e a u e ha is cu en ly accessible
on a ce ain subjec o esea ch ques ion. I is an exhaus i e and ans-
pa en me hod ha includes a ho ough sea ch o pe inen da abases,
sc eening o pape s using p ede e mined inclusion and exclusion
c i e ia, and c i ical e alua ion o he quali y o he included esea ch. A
sys ema ic li e a u e e iew’s objec i e is o p esen a ho ough and
unbiased summa y o he a ailable da a on a gi en subjec so ha
decision-make s in p ac ise, policy, o esea ch may be be e in o med.
The sys ema ic li e a u e e iew me hodology no mally en ails
se e al p ocesses, including de eloping he esea ch ques ion, c ea ing a
sea ch s a egy, sc eening and selec ing s udies, ex ac ing da a, e alu-
a ing he quali y o he s udies, syn hesising he indings, and publishing
he esul s (Xiao & Wa son, 2019). To gua an ee ha he e alua ion is
ho ough, unbiased, and epea able, he app oach mus be accessible
and easy o unde s and.
This s udy’s me hodology ocuses on a quan i a i e app oach. A e
o mula ing speci ic esea ch ques ions, he nex subsequen s ep
in ol ed selec ing sea ch da abases o iden i y pe inen s udies
add essing he esea ch ques ions. A comp ehensi e analysis is done o
he a icles’ con en ha deals wi h en i onmen al sus ainabili y, g een
po , pe o mance, and eco po . The p ocess o loca ing s udies
encompassed h ee sea ch s a egies: delinea ing sea ch e m g oups,
iden i ying ele an li e a u e da abases, and es ablishing inclusion and
exclusion c i e ia.
3.1.1. Resea ch ques ions
The SLR was s uc u ed a ound he ollowing esea ch ques ions:
1. Wha a e he cu en esea ch ends o po en i onmen ally sus-
ainable pe o mance and e alua ion?
2. How is he execu ion o measu es o po en i onmen ally sus ain-
able pe o mance and e alua ion conduc ed?
3. Wha disce nible gaps and challenges exis wi hin he esea ch ield?
3.1.2. Sea ch s a egy
Based on he esea ch ques ions, i e (5) sea ch e m g oups we e
o med o his s udy. By combining he s udies on he po indus y
om he pe spec i e o en i onmen al sus ainabili y, he s udy was able
o examine he deg ee o co ela ion be ween he hemes esea ched
using he i e (5) combina ions. The sea ch e ms g oup a e as ollowing:
G oup 1: G een Po AND Sus ainable
G oup 2: G een Po AND En i onmen al Pe o mance
G oup 3: En i onmen al Sus ainabili y AND Po Indus y
G oup 4: En i onmen al Sus ainabili y AND Ma i ime
G oup 5: Eco Po AND Sus ainable OR En i onmen al Pe o mance
Nex , he da abase o li e a u e sea ches. The sample a icles we e
collec ed using Else ie ’s Scopus da abase. Fo academics, his da abase
o e s se e al bene i s. I is a as a chi e o high-calibe academic
ma e ial, which makes i simple o schola s o ind ele an s udy.
Scopus also p o ides a p oduc i i y and popula i y anking o jou nals.
Nex , compa ed o o he da abases like Web o Science, Scopus p o ides
a mo e ecen ci a ion index. Addi ionally, Scopus o e s a pla o m o
he bibliome ic analysis o esea ch pape s om jou nals, which can be
seen using ools like VOS iewe and NVi o 12 Plus.
3.1.3. Inclusion and exclusion c i e ia
To ensu e he ele ance o he a icles selec ed, he ollowing in-
clusion and exclusion c i e ia we e applied:
•Inclusion C i e ia:
o Full- ex a icles published in English.
o Only a icle published wi h ime ame om 2007 o 2023.
o Only s udies ha ocus on e alua ing he en i onmen al pe o -
mance o po s.
o Only a icles discussing c i e ia and me hodologies o pe o -
mance e alua ion.
o Only ull a icles and con e ences pape s ha published in Scopus.
•Exclusion C i e ia:
o Book chap e s, disse a ions, and heses, as well as o he "g ey"
ma e ials such epo s, wo king pape s, o icial documen s, and
whi e pape s (Pe ic ew and Robe s, 2008) .
o S udies ocused pu ely on de eloping concep ual amewo ks and
app oaches as well as any hing un ela ed o po en i onmen al
sus ainabili y
3.1.4. Da a ex ac ion and analysis
A e ga he ing he sample a icles, a me hod o esea ch known as
con en analysis was used o each manusc ip , which we e indepen-
den ly e iewed he con en o each a icle o assess i s con o mi y wi h
he esea ch ques ions. The inal lis o sample a icles unde wen p o-
cessing o gene a e a ile s uc u ed and o ma ed as equi ed o
ne wo k analysis conduc ed using VOS iewe so wa e. This so wa e is
an open-sou ce ool ha is used o en isaging and c ea ing bibliome ic
ne wo ks. VOS iewe is a powe ul so wa e ool o bibliome ic anal-
ysis ha enables he isualisa ion and s udy o co-au ho ship, co-ci a-
ion, and co-occu ence analysis in ela ion o bibliog aphic coupling.
The sea ch p ocedu e un olded in wo p ima y s ages: ini ially, he
e iew sough pape s pe inen o he esea ch ques ions, ollowed by a
bibliome ic analysis o he selec ed a icles. The i s s age p og essed
h ough he ollowing sequence: (i) conduc ing da abase sea ches; (ii)
analysing con en ; (iii) assessing eligibili y; and (i ) inalizing da a
p ocessing. A comp ehensi e app oach o he i s phase’s sequence is
shown in Fig. 1 o ensu e he me hodology’s alidi y.
Using he sea ch e ms g oup, he ini ial sea ch ound 268 a icles in
o al. The iewpoin se ed as he basis o he inclusion and exclusion
c i e ia o his s udy. A his poin , a icles ha did no mee he in-
clusion equi emen s, such as hose wi hou ull ex access, book
chap e s, and non-English a icles we e il e ed ou . Also, se en (7) a -
icles we e emo ed due o duplica ions esul ing om he epe i i e
sea ch e ms.
A la ge numbe o a icles we e emo ed du ing he sc eening phase
due o easons: 86 a icles we e excluded due o a icles no ela ed o
opic in e es , 13 a icles we e excluded due o non-accessibili y o ull
ex , and 37 a icles we e excluded due o a icles no ela ed o he
subjec a ea. I should be cla i ied ha his s udy only ocuses on en i-
onmen al science, social sciences, and decision sciences. 78 a icles ha
did no all in o he inclusion documen ype we e also excluded. Las ly,
only one a icle was emo ed due o a non-English a icle.
Finally, a ho ough assessmen o he con ex o he eligibili y o he
a icle o be included in his analysis wi h an emphasis on he esea ch
ques ions men ioned in Sec ion 3.1.1. A o al o 19 publica ions ha had
aluable ma e ial o answe ing he esea ch ques ions we e chosen
a e a u he 27 we e emo ed a e conside ing he a icle’s en i e
con ex . The numbe o pape s unde wen a educ ion om 268 o 19
du ing he i e a i e il e ing p ocess, p ima ily a ibu able o wo ac-
o s: a icles ha ailed o mee he inclusion c i e ia and a sca ci y o
li e a u e add essing empi ical e idence conce ning en i onmen al
sus ainabili y wi hin he con ex o pe o mance e alua ion and
assessmen
3.1.5. Focus g oup discussions (FGD)
In ecen yea s, he global communi y has in ensi ied e o s o
add ess en i onmen al conce ns and p omo e sus ainable de elopmen .
In esponse o he global impe a i e o sus ainable de elopmen ,
Malaysia emba ked on a ans o ma i e jou ney wi hin i s ma i ime
sec o , speci ically a ge ing he es ablishmen o g een po s. The ocus
g oup discussions aimed o complemen he indings om he SLR by
p o iding p ac ical insigh s in o how sus ainabili y ini ia i es a e
M.S.S. Bah i e al.
The Asian Jou nal o Shipping and Logis ics 41 (2025) 38–51
40
implemen ed in Malaysian po s.
The p ima y objec i es o he FGD we e o de e mine which po
au ho i y unc ions con ibu e he mos wi h espec o en i onmen ally
sus ainable po s, gain a nuanced unde s anding o he exis ing g een
po ini ia i es in Malaysia, iden i y he challenges aced by s ake-
holde s, and iden i y po en ial s a egies o enhance sus ainabili y
wi hin Malaysian po s.
3.1.6. Pa icipan selec ion
The p o ile o h ee (3) esponden s om di e en po s in Malaysia
a e p esen ed in Table 1. As shown in he able, he esponden s hold a
high le el posi ion and one o he op managemen membe s. This is
signi ican since he esponden s no only play a key ole as decision
make s in hei espec i e o ganisa ions bu hey a e also a he o e on
o s a egic planning and policy execu ion. Thei knowledge o he
ope a ional di icul ies and inno a i e solu ions ela ed o en i on-
men al sus ainabili y in po managemen is ex ensi e, making hem a
aluable esou ce. In e ac ing wi h uppe managemen acili a es access
o a mul i ude o expe ience and expe ise, gua an eeing ha he con-
e sa ions a e enhanced by a high-le el, ealis ic iewpoin ha is
essen ial o de eloping an in-dep h knowledge o cu en s a e and
u u e p ospec s o sus ainable p ac ices in Malaysian po s.
3.1.7. Da a collec ion
The ocus g oup discussions we e conduc ed du ing he 21s ASEAN
Po s and Shipping 2023 Exhibi ion and Con e ence in Bangkok,
Thailand, whe e pa icipan s we e ac i ely in ol ed. The discussions
ook place o e wo days and we e guided by a semi-s uc u ed ques-
ionnai e designed o explo e he ollowing opics:
•Cu en sus ainabili y ini ia i es and hei e ec i eness.
•Challenges aced in implemen ing sus ainable p ac ices.
•Fu u e sus ainabili y goals and s a egies.
•Which po au ho i y unc ions con ibu e he mos wi h espec o
en i onmen ally sus ainable po s.
Each discussion las ed app oxima ely 15–20 minu es, and all ses-
sions we e eco ded and ansc ibed o analysis.
3.1.8. Da a Analysis
The ansc ip s om he ocus g oup discussions we e analysed using
hema ic analysis. Speci ic a en ion was gi en o iden i ying ecu ing
challenges, such as egula o y gaps and in as uc u e cons ain s, and
oppo uni ies o imp o emen , such as echnological inno a ions and
policy enhancemen s.
The ocus g oup esul s we e hen compa ed o he indings om he
A icles iden i ied om Scopus:
(n = 268)
Duplica e a icles emo ed:
(
n = 7
)
A icles sc eened:
(n = 261)
A icles excluded (n = 215)
No abou opic o in e es (n = 86)
Full ex a icle no a ailable (n = 13)
No ela ed wi h subjec a ea (n = 37)
No ela ed wi h documen ype (n = 78)
A icle no in English (n =1)
Full- ex a icles assessed o
eligibili y:
(
n = 46
)
Full a icles excluded (n = 27)
Re iew pape (n = 14)
Did no measu e a iables o in e es (n = 6)
Did no s udy on en i onmen al pe o mance (n = 7)
Included s udies:
(n = 19)
Iden i ica ion
Sc eening
Included Eligibili y
Fig. 1. PRISMA low diag am. Sou ce: Mohe D, Libe a i A, Te zla J, Al man DG, The PRISMA G oup (2009). P e e ed Repo ing I ems o Sys ema ic Re iews and
Me a-Analyses: The PRISMA S a emen . PLoS Med 6(7): e1000097. doi:10.1371/jou nal.pmed1000097.
Table 1
P o ile o Responden s.
No. Responden Po Designa ion
1. M . A Kuan an Po Conso ium
Sdn. Bhd
Gene al Manage Ope a ion
2. M s. B Penang Po Commission Senio Ope a ions &
Regula o y Manage
3. M . C Po Klang Au ho i y Manage (In e nal Audi )
M.S.S. Bah i e al.
The Asian Jou nal o Shipping and Logis ics 41 (2025) 38–51
41
sys ema ic li e a u e e iew o assess he ex en o which global sus-
ainabili y amewo ks a e being implemen ed in Malaysian po s. This
combined analysis p o ided a obus unde s anding o bo h heo e ical
and p ac ical elemen s o sus ainable po pe o mance in Malaysia.
3.1.9. E hical conside a ions and limi a ions o he s udy
All pa icipan s in he ocus g oup discussions p o ided in o med
consen be o e pa icipa ing in he s udy. Con iden iali y was main-
ained by anonymizing all esponses, ensu ing ha indi idual po s and
pa icipan s we e no di ec ly iden i iable in he inal epo .
While his s udy p o ides a comp ehensi e iew o sus ainabili y
e o s in Malaysian po s, i is impo an o acknowledge se e al limi-
a ions. The ocus g oup discussions, al hough highly in o ma i e, we e
limi ed o senio managemen a h ee key po s, po en ially excluding
pe spec i es om o he ope a ional le els o smalle po s. Addi ionally,
while he SLR co e ed a b oad ange o global s udies, he esea ch may
no cap u e he mos ecen de elopmen s ha ha e occu ed a e he
s udy pe iod.
4. Da a analysis and esul s
This sec ion p esen s he indings om bo h he sys ema ic li e a u e
e iew and he ocus g oup discussions. The indings p o ide insigh s
in o how global sus ainabili y amewo ks apply o he Malaysian
con ex , speci ically in e ms o en i onmen al pe o mance e alua ion
and he sus ainabili y ini ia i es implemen ed a Kuan an Po , Penang
Po , and Po Klang. The ocus g oup discussions wi h senio po
managemen o e addi ional quali a i e insigh s in o he ope a ional
challenges and s a egic plans o g een po de elopmen in Malaysia.
Each subsec ion p esen s he insigh s ga he ed om he sys ema ic
li e a u e e iew and he ocus g oup discussions wi h Malaysian po
managemen , highligh ing bo h global pe spec i es and Malaysia-
speci ic sus ainabili y ini ia i es.
4.1. Sys ema ic li e a u e e iew indings
4.1.1. Keywo d analysis
The o e all a icles we e analysed wi h VOS iewe . The mos o en
used keywo ds in he a icle i les a e depic ed in Fig. 2, which also
p esen s he ne wo k isualisa ion map o he au ho keywo ds in he
i les. In he igu e, he size o he nodes (keywo ds) ep esen s he
equency o he keywo d’s appea ance in he i le, while he lines be-
ween he nodes indica e ha hose keywo ds appea oge he wi hin
one o mo e a icles. The colou coding is used o dis inguish be ween
dis inc clus e s wi hin he ne wo k, and he hickness o he lines in-
dica es he s eng h o he co-occu ence.
The keywo d analysis om he VOS iewe iden i ied ou dominan
nodes which is “g een po ,” “sus ainabili y,” and “sus ainable de el-
opmen ,”. These e ms a e essen ial in unde s anding how po sus-
ainabili y is amed in he global li e a u e and applied in he Malaysian
con ex . The keywo ds ‘G een Po ’ and ‘G een Po s” should be
consolida ed due o hei synonymous implica ions, mainly e lec ing
he same ocus on he adop ion o en i onmen al p ac ices wi hin po
ope a ions.
“G een Po ” and “G een Po s” eme ged as a equen ly discussed
opic, e lec ing he ocus on educing he en i onmen al impac o po
ope a ions. In Malaysia, his is e iden h ough he implemen a ion o
hy id RTG c anes a Po Klang and Penang Po , as well as he sho e
powe p ojec s a Kuan an Po . These ini ia i es align wi h global
ends owa d ene gy e iciency and emission educ ions, unde sco ing
Malaysia’s commi men o achie ing g een po s a us.
“Sus ainabili y” is ano he key heme, encompassing a ange o
p ac iced aimed a balancing economic, en i onmen al, and social goals.
In Malaysian po s, sus ainabili y e o s ocus on educing emissions
h ough enewable ene gy p ojec such as Kuan an Po ’s sola ene gy
ins alla ions and was e managemen . These e o s e lec a b oade
in e na ional shi owa d making po s en i onmen ally and ope a-
ionally sus ainable.
Ano he signi ican node is "sus ainable de elopmen ," which high-
ligh s i s impo ance as an o e all goal ha a ec s a ious aspec s o
po managemen and ope a ions. This key heme in he po sec o
Fig. 2. Ne wo k isualiza ion map o he au ho keywo ds.
M.S.S. Bah i e al.
The Asian Jou nal o Shipping and Logis ics 41 (2025) 38–51
42
emphasizes he long- e m iabili y o in as uc u e ha suppo s bo h
cu en and u u e needs. Malaysia po s like Penang inno a ing wi hin
space cons ain s as can be seen wi h hei loa ing sola panel ini ia i e.
This solu ions con ibu es o he global sus ainable de elopmen
na a i e by o e ing c ea i e solu ions o local challenges.
The bibliome ic isualiza ion se es as a map o he esea ch land-
scape, indica ing which hemes a e mo e es ablished and which migh
be eme ging. Concep maps can be used o e alua e he de elopmen o
ideas and he e ec i eness o hei connec ions, as well as o desc ibe he
deg ee o links be ween concep s (Yu & Liu, 2004). When wo ds a e
ma ched by colou , i shows how equen ly hey occu , e ealing he
da abase’s hema ic backg ound. The p ima y keywo ds u ilised by
di e en au ho s a e shown in Table 2.
4.1.2. Publica ion ends
Du ing he s udy pe iod (2007–2023), he examina ion e eals a
no able su ge in he opic’s p ominence beginning a ound 2013, as
e idenced by a dynamic analysis o publica ion yea s and he inc easing
numbe o s udies in he da ase . This end aligns wi h he ising global
awa eness o he en i onmen al impac o po ope a ions and he u -
gen need o adop g een ini ia i es. Fig. 3 illus a es his end, indi-
ca ing a ise in documen s ocusing on en i onmen ally sus ainable
po s, no ably om one (1) in 2019 o ou (4) in 2020, signi ying a peak
in in e es du ing ha yea . Fo u he insigh in o he dis ibu ion o
wo ks ac oss di e en publica ion yea s, a de ailed b eakdown is p o-
ided in Table 3.
A su ge in publica ions was no ed in 2020 and 2021, e lec ing he
inc easing ocus on g een po s and he adop ion o ene gy e icien
echnologies in esponse o global clima e challenges. Fo Malaysian
po s, his end is mi o s by he adop ion o se e al key sus ainabili y
ini ia i es du ing he same pe iod such as he sho e powe p ojec a
Kuan an Po and he hyb id RTG c ane p ojec a Penang Po .
4.1.3. Au ho ship and esea ch collabo a ion
The mos equen ly ci ed au ho s in he ields o en i onmen al
sus ainabili y and po pe o mance a e p esen ed in Table 4. The mos
no able esea che s a e Woold idge and Da b a since hey bo h collab-
o a e on many esea ch p ojec s wi h mul iple esea che s om a ious
na ions. The le el o collabo a ion amongs a o al o 29 au ho s om
a ious na ions is depic ed in Fig. 4.
Collabo a ion among au ho s is essen ial o p og ess in any ield o
s udy, and he ield o en i onmen ally sus ainable po s is no excep ion
(Tu ne & Bake , 2020). Collabo a ion os e s in o ma ion sha ing and
esou ce pooling among au ho s, leading o success ul ini ia i es and
scien i ic ad ancemen (Ou e al., 2012). Figs. 5 and 6 illus a e he
na ions wi h he mos signi ican publishing p esence wi hin he
ne wo k. Ge many, Belgium, he Uni ed S a es, C oa ia, Denma k, and
G eece eme ge as he mos in luen ial coun ies in e ms o coope a i e
e o s, as demons a ed in hese igu es. Co-au ho ship p e e ences a e
in luenced by a a ie y o a iables, including language, geog aphy, and
cul u al ies (Schube & Schube , 2020). The esul s o he cu en
s udy make i clea ha geopoli ical a ini y and language a e impo an
ac o s in de e mining c oss-coun y co-au ho ship. I is in e es ing o
no e ha Malaysia is no lis ed among he coun ies in he da ase , his
highligh s he need o mo e esea ch on coope a ion, pa icula ly be-
ween he mos powe ul na ions.
The absence o s ong in e na ional esea ch collabo a ion has im-
plica ions o how Malaysian po s app oach sus ainabili y. Wi hou
access o he la es global esea ch indings and amewo ks, Malaysia
may ace di icul ies in implemen ing he mos cu ing edge po p ac-
ices. Fu he mo e, he limi ed collabo a ion also es ic s he abili y o
Malaysian esea che s o in luence he global discou se on po sus-
ainabili y which could lead o a na owe ocus in domes ic esea ch
e o s, po en ially missing ou on inno a i e app oaches.
4.1.4. Ci a ion analysis
Table 5 shows he a icles wi h he mos ci a ions. Wi h 181 ci a ions,
he a icle by Accia o e al. (2014) i led "En i onmen al sus ainabili y
in seapo s: a amewo k o success ul inno a ion" ops he lis . This
a icle e iden ly se es as a ounda ional piece in he ield, o e ing key
insigh s and amewo k ha ha e guided subsequen esea ch and
p ac ice.
Fu he mo e, as shown by hei high ci a ion coun s o 93 and 91
espec i ely, he s udies by Li n e al. (2013) in g een pe o mance
c i e ia o sus ainable po s and Schippe e al. (2017) on he sus ain-
abili y assessmen o po s ha e also eme ged as signi ican con ibu-
ions. The 19 a icles highligh a wide ange o app oaches, om
inno a i e amewo ks and sus ainabili y e alua ions o he c ea ion o
g een pe o mance s anda ds and key pe o mance indica o s. The c oss
disciplina y ocus o hese a icles e lec s he mul i ace ed app oach
equi ed o ackle he complex challenges o sus ainabili y in po op-
e a ions. Many au ho s, including Accia o, Sys, Fe a i, Vanelslande ,
and many mo e, ha e made a subs an ial con ibu ion o he body o
knowledge in his a ea.
Many o he high impac s udies on he en i onmen ally sus ainable
po pe o mance come om ins i u ions in Eu ope and No h Ame ica,
whe e esea che s om mul iple coun ies sha e hei knowledge and
c ea ing comp ehensi e amewo ks. In con as , he e is a no ep e-
sen a i e o m Malaysia in hese global esea ch ne wo ks. Malaysian
esea che s and ins i u ions ha e gene ally no been as ac i e in pub-
lishing esea ch s udies on po sus ainabili y pa icula ly in high-
anking jou nals. This gap sugges s ha Malaysian po s may no be
bene i ing om he same le el o academic inno a ion o global bes
p ac ices as po s in mo e collabo a i e egions.
4.1.5. P opo ional analysis
The ba cha ha illus a es he dis ibu ion o he numbe o a i-
cles using a ious da a analysis me hods is p esen ed in Fig. 7. This
p o ides a quick isual depic ion o how equen ly each echnique is
applied when e alua ing po pe o mance in en i onmen ally sus ain-
able po s. Wi h ou (4) publica ions, AHP is he mos o en used
echnique while echnique like GAP analysis, Con en analysis, and
Delphi me hod a e used in wo (2) a icles. O he echniques such as
Disc e e Choice Analysis appea less equen ly.
In he con ex o e alua ing po pe o mance in en i onmen ally
sus ainable po s, he p opo ional analysis o e s a mo e sophis ica ed
knowledge o he da a analysis echniques. AHP ep esen s he g ea es
p opo ion o u ilisa ion, including a ound 18.18 % o all a icles. This
sugges s ha i is highly p e e ed o app op ia e o hese kinds o in-
es iga ions. Abou 9.09 % o he a icles use echniques like GAP
Table 2
Top Keywo ds.
Au ho Keywo ds Occu ences To al link s eng h
G een po 20 22
Sus ainabili y 15 21
Sus ainable de elopmen 12 18
En i onmen al sus ainabili y 14 17
G een po s 12 11
Po 4 11
Shipping 7 11
Po s 4 9
Ma i ime spa ial planning 3 8
Blue g ow h 3 5
Con aine e minal 2 5
Cold i oning 3 4
Deca boniza ion 2 4
En i onmen 3 4
G een ene gy 2 4
G een pe o mance 2 4
Ma i ime shipping 2 4
Ma i ime anspo 3 4
Digi alisa ion 2 3
Ene gy 2 3
M.S.S. Bah i e al.
The Asian Jou nal o Shipping and Logis ics 41 (2025) 38–51
43
analysis, Con en analysis, and Delphi me hod, sugges ing a modes
deg ee o u ilisa ion. A ange o o he echniques, including Disc e e
Choice Analysis, Thema ic Analysis, Clus e Analysis, Analy ic Ne wo k
P ocess (ANP), Bes Wo s Me hod, Fuzzy AHP, Balanced Sco eca d,
O dinal Scale, PROMETHEE, Fuzzy TOPSIS-AHP, En opy, and
E idence-based Knowledge Sco es, a e less equen ly employed, each
cons i u ing app oxima ely 4.55 % o he a icles. This di e si y in
me hodology e lec s he e ol ing na u e wi hin his esea ch a ea.
The analysis shows how esea che s in he ield employ a wide ange
o echniques, and i also emphasises how me hodologies a e dynamic
and always adap ing o mee he complexi ies o en i onmen al sus-
ainabili y in po ope a ions. Pa icula ly in he speci ic con ex o po
ope a ions, he dynamic na u e o me hodologies in en i onmen al
sus ainabili y indica es a esponsi e esponse o he complex, mul i-
disciplina y, and e ol ing na u e o sus ainabili y conce ns. Resea che s
consis en ly de elop and inco po a e no el app oaches o e icien ly
in es iga e and p o ide esolu ions o hese dynamic p oblems.
4.1.6. Summa y o po au ho i y unc ions in pas s udies
Table 6 ou lines he ou (4) main unc ions o po au ho i y ha a e
iden i ied and used in 19 dis inc esea ch s udies. Landlo d unc ion,
egula o y unc ion, ope a o unc ion, and communi y unc ion a e he
ou main po unc ions ha ha e been adop ed om he esea ch o
Accia o e al. (2014). These unc ions a e c i ical in e alua ing he e -
iciency and e ec i eness o po managemen . Howe e , he li e a u e
e eals ha no all s udies use all ou po au ho i y unc ions o hei
e alua ions, indica ing a gap in comp ehensi ely assessing po
pe o mance.
Among he ou (4) main unc ions o po au ho i y, he Regula o y
Func ion appea s as he mos ex ensi ely explo ed unc ion, being he
ocus o esea ch in 17 o he 19 s udies. This emphasis highligh s he
c ucial unc ion o egula o y p ac ices in po managemen and ope -
a ions. Howe e , he Landlo d Func ion is s udied in a ela i ely smalle
numbe o esea ch pape s wi h only 7 ou o 19. This could be a po-
en ial gap o a speci ic niche in po au ho i y s udy. The Ope a o and
Communi y unc ions a e also impo an , co e ed in 11 and 13 s udies
espec i ely, demons a ing hei impo an in he holis ic ope a ion o
po au ho i ies. These unc ions collec i ely indica e he a ious e-
sponsibili ies o po au ho i ies, anging om di ec ope a ional con ol
o encou aging communi y ela ions.
The e iew o pas s udies shows ha while many au ho s use a
combina ion o hese ou unc ions, ew s udies comp ehensi ely in e-
g a e landlo d, egula o y, ope a o , and communi y unc ions in o hei
e alua ions o po pe o mance. Fo ins ance, Li n e al. (2013) and
Tee awa ana and Yang (2019) only include a subse o hese unc ions
which ocusing solely on he communi y o ope a o unc ions, o e -
looking he b oade oles po au ho i ies play. Addi ionally, some
s udies ocus on speci ic po a eas such as seaside and ya d a he han
adop ing a holis ic iew o o e all po pe o mance. This could limi he
unde s anding o po au ho i ies ull impac on sus ainabili y and
e iciency.
Fo he u u e s udy, he esea che will add ess his gap by using all
ou po au ho i y unc ion o e alua e he pe o mance on Malaysian
po s comp ehensi ely. By applying his comple e amewo k, he s udy
will p o ide a mo e nuanced and holis ic unde s anding o how
Fig. 3. Documen by Yea .
Table 3
Yea o publica ions.
Yea F equency % (N =19)
2013 1 5.26
2014 1 5.26
2015 0 0.00
2016 0 0.00
2017 2 10.53
2018 1 5.26
2019 1 5.26
2020 4 21.05
2021 5 26.32
2022 4 21.05
To al 19 100.00
Table 4
Mos ci ed au ho s.
Au ho ’s Name No. o Ci a ions
Da b a R.M 33
Woold idge C. 28
Puig M. 27
Lam J.S.L 23
Accia o M. 14
No eboom T. 13
Yang Z. 11
Vanelslande T. 11
Michail A. 10
Walke T.R 9
Casal J. 9
Fe a i C. 8
Van De Voo de E. 8
Kap os S. 7
Sys C. 7
Ronza A. 7
To al Au ho s =1691
M.S.S. Bah i e al.
The Asian Jou nal o Shipping and Logis ics 41 (2025) 38–51
44
Malaysian po au ho i ies manage in as uc u e, en o ce egula ions,
handle ope a ions, and engage wi h hei communi ies. This app oach
will no only ill he gaps iden i ies in pas s udies bu also o e aluable
insigh s in o how Malaysian po s can enhance hei sus ainabili y e -
o s and ope a ional e iciency by le e aging all he unc ions.
4.2. Focus g oup discussion indings
The ocus g oup discussions wi h senio po managemen om
Kuan an Po , Penang Po , and Po Klang p o ided in dep h insigh s
in o he p ac ical implemen a ion o sus ainabili y ini ia i es in
Malaysia.
Fig. 4. Ne wo k isualiza ion map o he co-ci a ion. Uni o analysis =Ci ed au ho s; me hod =Full coun ing; Minimum numbe o ci a ions o an au ho =6.
Fig. 5. Ne wo k isualiza ion o he co-au ho ship. Uni o analysis =Coun ies; Coun ing me hod =Full coun ing; Minimum numbe o a coun y =2; Minimum
numbe o ci a ions o a coun y =0.
Fig. 6. Dis ibu ion o esea che s coun ies based on geog aphical loca ion (Sou ce: Au ho ).
M.S.S. Bah i e al.
The Asian Jou nal o Shipping and Logis ics 41 (2025) 38–51
45
