Reliability-Centred Maintenance is proving vital to maximising fleet availability and operational performance in challenging economic conditions. Using real-world experience from the Maldives’ essential ferry network, this work demonstrates how data-driven maintenance optimisation can reduce downtime, improve reliability and lower costs, offering valuable lessons for diverse maritime fleets worldwide at scale.

Hazardous materials management is becoming central to responsible ship lifecycle governance. Regulations require identification, inventory tracking, controlled removal, and environmentally sound disposal of substances such as asbestos throughout a vessel’s service life and recycling phase. The framework strengthens worker safety, environmental protection, regulatory compliance, and sustainable ship recycling practices globally.

Next-generation CAD-PLM interoperability is advancing beyond simple integration toward seamless real-time collaboration across ship design and lifecycle management. By enabling intuitive bidirectional data exchange, the approach improves productivity, reduces errors, supports digitalisation, and ensures engineering information remains accessible and consistent throughout construction, operation, and future vessel evolution worldwide today ahead.