Shore operations enhancement of bulk carriers based on a multi-objective sizing approach

Abstract

The maritime industry is responsible for almost 3 % of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide and this figure is expected to grow due to market expansion. Since ships are taking time to decarbonize, operational measures that are technologically mature such as shore power should be implemented right now. However, capital expenditure is the main barrier to the adoption of shore power projects. Intending to accelerate the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions from the maritime industry, this paper develops a multi-objective approach to select and size a multi-source shore power system for bulk carriers. The multi-objective model aims to minimize capital expenditure and carbon dioxide emissions of the auxiliary system. It is expected to assist the decision making by presenting the non-dominated solutions (Pareto front) and unveiling the trade-offs at stake. The results from a case study show that the emissions in port coming from a handy-size bulk carrier could be eliminated with a 900kVA low-voltage shore power system combined with a 60kWh marine battery. This system represents an investment of 323 k$ USD and a payback period of 15 years, which is reduced to 6 years if 50 % of the initial capital is subsidized. The proposed system would be the equivalent of taking ∼650 light cars off the roads per day per ship in port.