New research indicates that 10% of international shipping emissions are generated within port areas globally. This finding suggests that mature electrification technologies, such as cold ironing at berth, battery electric propulsion during idling or manoeuvring, and converting short-sea vessels to battery-operated electric ships, could effectively mitigate these emissions.
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According to the UCL Shipping and Oceans Research Group, the Shipping GHG Emissions Explorer is an interactive tool designed to strengthen the evidence base for upcoming International Maritime Organization (IMO) negotiations on the Net Zero Framework (NZF). Built on a dataset of 1.2 million voyages by over 43,000 unique vessels in a single year, the tool helps IMO delegations see which portion of the 575 million tonnes of CO2e emissions from international shipping can be attributed to their country’s economic activity.
James Stewart, a Research Fellow at the UCL Shipping and Oceans Research Group, commented that AIS-based big data approaches, while imperfect, have transformed understanding of energy demands and GHG emissions in international shipping. He noted that the tool allows users to explore aggregate data directly on the platform and encourages validation with complementary datasets.
The tool provides energy demand and GHG emission statistics for port and voyage phases, with breakdowns by vessel type, port, and maritime trade partner. Future updates in September will add state-level seaborne trade volumes and potential economic impacts of proposed IMO NZF amendments.
Yoseph Ismail, a Research Assistant at the group, highlighted that breaking down voyages into in-port and in-voyage emissions revealed significant benefits of port electrification. He noted that among countries with the highest in-port emissions, 7 out of 10 in Latin America/Caribbean and 8 out of 10 in East Asia Pacific are small island nations, with emissions well above global and regional averages, often exceeding 20%. Further analysis could identify cost-effective solutions to reduce emissions.