Policy and Institutional Frameworks for Sustainable Sea Transportation Management: National Maritime Policy, Port Governance, and Regional Implications

Abstract

Sustainable sea transportation management depends not only on vessel- and port-level operational practice but also on the policy and institutional frameworks that set the incentives and obligations within which ports and shipping operators function. This paper examines national maritime policy integration, port governance and privatization, and the diversification of sea transportation activity, illustrated through Arctic shipping route logistics and yachting tourism, as policy dimensions bearing on sustainable sea transportation management, using Politeknik Pelayaran Sulawesi Utara (Poltekpel Sulut) as a reflective regional case setting for April 2025 to January 2026. Synthesizing the policy literature on integrated maritime governance, port privatization and pricing, and route- and sector-diversification of sea transportation with institutional observation at Poltekpel Sulut, the paper argues that regional maritime training institutions have an underused role as intermediaries between national policy design and local implementation capacity. The paper proposes that maritime polytechnics can strengthen sustainable sea transportation outcomes by building applied research and advisory functions that translate national policy frameworks into locally feasible implementation guidance for regional port authorities.