MARINE AND BLUE ECONOMY: WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE AND WHAT UNITES THESE CONCEPTS?
##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.main##
##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.sidebar##
Abstract
The purpose of this article is to elucidate the content of the categories "marine" and "blue" economy, which are increasingly utilised in scientific and political contexts. Absent an acknowledgement of this issue, there is a risk of ambiguous interpretation of the relevant definitions, which poses a threat to the effectiveness of crucial decisions related to accelerating economic growth without distorting natural ecosystems. The focal point of this study is the examination of the relationships established among participants engaged in projects that are focused on the utilisation of the global oceans' abundant resources. The research methods employed encompass content analysis of academic publications and documents from international organisations, in addition to the authors' own observations. The research results indicate a clear differentiation of the content of the categories "marine" and "blue" economy, along with other related categories. This clarity will improve practical decisions regarding the selection of sustainable development strategies for enterprises engaged in activities related to the use of marine/ocean resources to create values capable of meeting human needs. The proposed model delineates the process of planetary economy development from ordinary to sustainable, with the corresponding qualification of its intermediate states.
How to Cite
##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.details##
economy, green economy, marine economy, оcean economy, maritime economy, сoastal еconomy, blue economy, blue transition
CBE History (2024). Center for the Blue Economy. Available at: https://www.middlebury.edu/institute/academics/centers-initiatives/center-blue-economy/about/history
Det Norske Veritas (2025). Ocean’s future to 2050. A sectoral and regional forecast of the Blue Economy, 104 p. Available at: https://www.dnv.com/oceansfuture/
Developments and Forecasts of Aggravating Resource Scarcity (2018). European Commission. Competence Centre on Foresight. Available at: https://knowledge4policy.ec.europa.eu/foresight/topic/aggravating-resource-scarcity/more-developments-relevant-aggravating-resource-scarcity_en
Esin, J. O., Okon, N. B., & Okore, S. K. (2025). Community Understanding of the Concept of Blue Economy and its Socio-Economic Impact on Livelihood in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), Vol. 9 (1), р. 579–593.
European Commission (2021). Sustainable blue economy. Available at: https://oceans-and-fisheries.ec.europa.eu/ocean/blue-economy/sustainable-blue-economy_en
Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy (2025). Available at: https://fmmbe.gov.ng/
Fischer-Kowalski M., Swilling M., Weizsäcker E.U., Ren Y., Moriguchi Y., Crane W., Krausmann F., Giljum S., Eisenmenger N., Hennicke P., Romero Lankao P., Siriban Manalang A., Sewerin, S. (2011). UNEP. Decoupling Natural Resource Use and Environmental Impacts from Economic Growth. A Report of the Working Group on Decoupling to the International Resource Panel. Available at: https://www.resourcepanel.org/reports/decoupling-natural-resource-use-and-environmental-impacts-economic-growth
Fudge, M., Ogier, E., & Alexander, K. A. (2023). Marine and coastal places: Wellbeing in a blue economy. Environmental Science & Police, Vol. 144, p. 64–73.
Lee, K.-H., Noh, J., & Khim, J. S. (2020). The Blue Economy and the United Nations’ sustainable development goals: Challenges and opportunities. Environment International, Vol. 137. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412019338255
Maritime Freight Transport Global Market Report 2025 (2025). The Business Research Company. Available at: https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.-com/report/maritime-freight-transport-global-market-report
Market.us (2024). Marine Tourism Market Size, Share, Trends. Available at: https://market.us/report/marine-tourism-market/
Number of ocean cruise passengers worldwide from 2009 to 2023, with a forecast until 2027, in millions (2024). Statista. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/385445/number-of-passengers-of-the-cruise-industry-worldwide/
Pauli, G. (2010). The Blue Economy: 10 Years, 100 Innovations, 100 Million Jobs. Taos, US: Paradigm Publishing, 308 p. Available at: https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-OHR7j4u-DCGuXPeKMCU
Pearce, D., Markandya, A., & Barbier, E. B. (1989). Blueprint for a Green Economy. Submission to the Shadow Cabinet. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/39015804_Blueprint_for_a_Green_Economy
Review of maritime transport 2024 (2025). UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Available at: https://unctad.org/publication/review-maritime-transport-2024
Stopford, M. (2009). Maritime economy. Third edition. Routledge, New York, 815 р. Available at: https://logistics.nankai.edu.cn/_upload/article/50/93/1cf2097840e8af90af4b19979773/9ce547df-a3e1-493c-a4a3-0ebbfe0669b9.pdf
Sustainable Blue Economy. Action Group on Sustainable Blue Economy (2025). Available at: https://thecommonwealth.org/bluecharter/sustainable-blue-economy#:~:text
The World Bank’s Blue Economy Program and PROBLUE: Supporting integrated and sustainable economic development in a healthy ocean (2023). Available at: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/environment/brief/the-world-banks-blue-economy-program-and-problue-frequently-asked-questions
The world merchant fleet – statistics from Equasis (2005, 2015, 2022). Available at: https://emsa.europa.eu/csn-menu/items.html?cid=14&id=472
The world merchant fleet in 2022 from Equasis (2023). Available at: https://www.equasis.org/Fichiers/Statistique/MOA/Documents%20availables%20on%20statistics%20of%20Equasis/Equasis%20Statistics%20-%20The%20world%20fleet%202022.pdf
Transport volume of worldwide maritime trade 1990-2021 (2023). Statista. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/264117/tonnage-of-worldwide-maritime-trade-since-1990/
UNEP, International Resource Panel (2024). Global Resources Outlook 2024. Available at: https://www.unep.org/resources/Global-Resource-Outlook-2024
What is the blue economy? (2024). The London School of Economics and Political Science. Available at: https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/explainers/what-is-the-blue-economy/

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.