Abstract
In response to global climate change, many researchers, policy makers, organisations and non-governmental groups identified the root cause of the ecological impact as due to the increase of greenhouse gases (GHG), (Agrawal et al.,2013). Aware of the ecological impact from the contribution of 2.2% of global GHG and other harmful gas emissions by the maritime transport sector (IMO., 2014), research has been initiated to explore techniques to measure and reduce these gases at seaport cargo terminals. The research of this thesis focusses on the ‘carbon footprint’ emissions for each of twelve selected port work process (PWP) operations. The author and other researchers (OECD., 2014, Tichavska et al.,2017; Islam et al.,2016 and Tovar & Deniz.,2015) acknowledge the scarcity of contextual literature on this topic which this thesis and its associated publications seek to address.
The thesis considers the application of ISO 14044 guidelines and LCA to quantify the gas emissions for each PWP operation. The primary data is based on interviews with managers, supervisors, port workers, wharf personnel and is focused on three on-site case studies in Malta, Latvia and Norway terminal ports. The goal was to provide a new understanding and technique to quantify the GHG and other air emission impacts of such PWP operations, to consider options for their minimisation and to place such impacts within a whole shipping context. Based on these cases, the thesis concludes that 59% of current CO2 emissions would be decreased from each European seaport terminal (if financed by EU) by the provision of cold iron connection during ships’ hoteling. The research also identifies that the elimination of 6630kg of CO2 emissions per discharge of cargo per “roll-on roll-off” (roro) ship call could be achieved if the newly built eco-friendly roro ships were to be switched over to green energy sources.