Ship emissions in hotelling phase and loading/unloading in Southeast Asia ports

Abstract

The rapid increase in ship calls and container throughput in Southeast Asia's container port system severely affects the regional environment. This study investigates ship emissions in the hotelling phase, relating mainly to loading and unloading activities at berths. Ship emissions at berths were calculated using the bottom-up approach based on the number of ship calls, power of auxiliary engines, load factor, emissions factor, and in-port hotelling duration of the top ten ports in the region from 2016 to 2020. With a high density of ships and continuity in loading/unloading operations, the Southeast Asia container port system, with several large container ports such as Singapore, Port Kelang, and Tanjung Pelepas, produces enormous emissions, causing air pollution. Further, increased volume of containers and ship calls leads to high pollution in the Southeast Asia container port system, whereas enhanced loading/unloading productivity of ports reduces emissions per TEU.