Influence of vessel upsizing on pollution emissions along Far East-Europe trunk routes.

Abstract

The emissions of vessels are higher when they sail at sea than when they are at a port, and such emissions affect air quality considerably. In this study, an activity-based method was used to calculate the quantities of various pollutants emitted by large container ships sailing at optimal speed on Far East–Europe trunk routes, which cover seven of the largest economies with high population density. We determined the emission quantities of various pollutant, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfide ({mathrm{SO}}_{mathrm{x}}), nitride ({mathrm{NO}}_{mathrm{x}}), and particulate matter—for the newest mega container ships deployed on the aforementioned routes by THE Alliance. This study considered vessel speed as a critical variable and found that to reduce vessel emissions, port authorities should mandate that vessels reduce their speed when entering and leaving a port. Considering maritime practice, setting the optimal speed of a vessel as 15–18 knots is the most effective method for reducing emissions. On the basis of the obtained results, appropriate recommendations are made to the International Maritime Organization, international shipping companies, and port authorities.