Mapping Maritime Governance and Oversight: Bibliometric Trends and Future Directions

Maritime governance has become a central theme in global sustainability debates, particularly under the framework of the blue economy and SDG 14 (Life Below Water).While existing literature extensively addresses ecological and economic aspects, the political and institutional dimensions-especially oversight by local governments and parliaments, remain underexplored.This study seeks to fill that gap by mapping the intellectual structure of maritime governance research and evaluating the extent to which oversight has been integrated.A bibliometric analysis was conducted using publications indexed in Scopus from 1993 to 2024.The dataset was analyzed through performance indicators, co-authorship networks, keyword co-occurrence, and thematic mapping.Visualization tools from the Bibliometrix R package were employed to identify trends, influential authors, leading journals, and emerging research themes.Findings reveal significant growth in maritime governance research, particularly after 2015, driven by the global blue economy agenda and SDG implementation.Dominant themes include sustainable development, marine policy, and climate change, which function as motor themes in the field.In contrast, topics such as local government, parliament, and policy oversight occupy peripheral positions, indicating limited scholarly attention.The geographic analysis highlights contributions from countries such as China, Indonesia, and the United Kingdom, with varying levels of international collaboration.The study demonstrates that while maritime governance research has advanced considerably, the oversight dimension remains marginalized.This gap suggests a need to integrate theories of multi-level governance with legislative accountability frameworks.Practically, strengthening the role of local parliaments in maritime oversight is crucial for ensuring accountability and sustainability.Future research should combine bibliometric mapping with qualitative case studies to better capture the interplay between ecological, economic, and political dimensions of maritime governance.