An approach for shipping emissions estimation in ports: the case of ro–ro vessels in port of Vigo

Abstract

Despite most atmospheric emissions being produced by vessels when navigating at sea, they are also important when in port because of their proximity to urban areas and their harmful effects on climate change and health. First, we carried out a bibliographical review of the nine most relevant methods to estimate the emission of ships in ports. These methods have been used to estimate the emissions of the sixteen most representatives Ro–Ro (roll-on–roll-off) ships calling at the Port of Vigo. From the results obtained, a new simplified method for estimation is proposed, which is based on linear regression curves and takes into account the number of ships and the average number of hours they remain in port annually. This simplification could be a useful tool when making preliminary assessments of the emissions from ships in port, which can also be extrapolated to other ports or types of ships.