AI-driven data mining for sustainable ship power system technologies

• Shipping is pivotal for global supply chains, yet its predominance is made possible through a plethora of negative externalities. • The catalyst of sustainability attests to innovative marine systems and technologies. • Maritime technology that refers to ship power systems is of indicative importance, yet the literature is sparse. • Through artificial intelligence, data mining is executed in the body of research. • Core trends are extracted with reference to the dynamics of ship power systems. • The results highlight an array of current and future technological applications that can become integral parts of sustainable shipping. Shipping is pivotal for global supply chains, yet its predominance is made possible through a plethora of negative externalities that include extensive and very critical social, ethical, and environmental costs. The industry tries to power through the latter with a prime facilitator, which refers to maritime technology. Indeed, hope is placed in novel marine systems as they can foster a new age of sustainable shipping that will provide global mobility with high efficiency and utilization of clean, green, and minimized (if not zero) emissions technologies. As such, the domain of maritime technology that refers to ship power systems is of indicative importance, yet the literature is barren of a concise understanding of the trends and directions of contemporary research. Said gap in the body of knowledge is tackled by the present work. Through the utilization of artificial intelligence (AI), this work adopts a data mining approach that is executed in the body of research concerning ship power systems, and core trends along with dominant themes are extracted. The results of the current study summarize and highlight an array of current and future technological applications that can become integral parts of ships’ onboard systems, aiding the industry toward its sustainability endeavour and fostering resilient prosperity for the global society. Consequently, this work is a valuable instrument for maritime practitioners and policy makers in evaluating and distinguishing the most viable and readily applicable alternatives to foster environmental respect and entrepreneurial growth, simultaneously.