This study systematically reviews the literature on ESG-based sustainable performance in the maritime public sector using the PRISMA approach. The study is driven by the need to clarify how environmental, social, and governance principles can be translated from corporate sustainability discourse into public maritime governance, where institutions are responsible for marine environmental protection, navigational safety, port supervision, labor welfare, coastal community interests, and accountable public service delivery. A structured search was conducted across Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Emerald, Taylor & Francis, SpringerLink, and Google Scholar as a supplementary source. From 1,567 initial records, 45 articles met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed through descriptive, thematic, and conceptual synthesis. The review shows that maritime ESG research remains dominated by environmental issues, especially emissions, energy efficiency, marine pollution, waste management, and decarbonization. Social and public-governance dimensions remain less developed, despite their relevance to seafarers, port workers, coastal communities, institutional transparency, regulatory quality, and public accountability. The synthesis also identifies transformational leadership, organizational culture, organizational environment, and organizational commitment as key internal determinants of ESG-based sustainable performance. The study contributes by developing an integrated conceptual framework that links ESG, maritime public governance, sustainable performance, and organizational behavior, while offering a research agenda for future empirical testing in maritime public institutions.