Operating strategies of CO2 reduction for a container terminal based on carbon footprint perspective

Abstract

This paper investigates CO2 emissions produced by two different container terminal operating models (tire transtainers and rail transtainers) at the port of Kaohsiung, and seeks to determine energy saving and CO2 reduction strategies for shipping companies and terminal operators in order to comply with green port requirements.This paper's research methodology involves carbon footprint analysis and gray relational analysis. Carbon footprint analysis is employed to calculate the CO2 emissions per container of two different container terminal operating models employing data for various areas (such as the berthing area, container yard, and gate area), where the raw data is collected from shipping companies or terminal operating companies at the port of Kaohsiung. Gray relational analysis is then used to determine the ranking order of different container terminal operating models based on the green port assessment criteria of working time efficiency, energy consumption, and CO2 emissions.The chief findings of this paper are that the ranking order of container terminal types based on carbon footprint is tire transtainer ahead of rail transtainer; optimal green port assessment criteria constituted working time efficiency, energy cost, and CO2 emissions; and use of container handling equipment with high operating efficiency can not only accomplish work rapidly, lessening the berthing time of ships in port, but also reduce energy costs and CO2 emissions.