Abstract: Motivated by a lack of research on port sustainability performance and assessment, this paper uses a systematic literature review to identify trends, measurement methods, and mechanisms for the implementation of strategy and policy in this area. The paper provides a comprehensive and critical evaluation of port operational sustainability, focusing on ascertaining the impact of its implementation. The study analysed and synthesised established characteristics in the current literature regarding the performance of port sustainability and its evaluation in terms of operations and management. Successful performance measurement in port sustainability is driven by the dependence on establishing accurate indicators as the basis for measurement. Our clustering of analytical sustainability indicators reveals that environmental research is focused on pollution, social research is mainly focused on human resource management, while economic research is mainly on port management and borderline investment. Findings are discussed in four key areas of port sustainability performance and assessment: existing trends, implementation of measures, mechanisms for implementation, and assessment gaps and challenges. For existing trends, attempts to evaluate the applicability and practicality of green operations have improved the awareness and promotion of governmental green policies. Implementation measures relate to the utilisation of techniques that reveal optimal practices for practical sustainable operations while mechanisms largely relate to establishing indicators which increase understanding of performance. Finally, challenges in this field include achieving consistency among ports in how sustainability is measured. Future research should incentivise improvements in port operational practice and encourage self-examination in order to reprioritise activity.

Abstract: Ports are experiencing increased pressure to reduce negative impacts on climate and environment, and their roles and functions in transport systems and economy make them a key factor in promoting sustainability. There is substantial research on strategies and measures for mitigating emissions and pollution. This paper reviews literature on tools and technologies for sustainable ports and presents a typology based on 70 publications published in peer-reviewed journals. The paper outlines 26 tools and technologies, across four main categories (i) port management and plans, (ii) power and fuels, (iii) sea activities and (iv) land activities. The paper further discusses to what extent existing research supports port decision makers in their effort towards sustainability. We suggest that the literature gives an insufficient foundation for decision making in ports. The main reason is that few papers are based on empirical findings. We therefore suggest several avenues for addressing port sustainability in future research to enable port decision makers to select and prioritize tools or technologies: increased use of empirical data, port engagement, and understanding actors and processes in port decision making.

Abstract: Each vessel has its own way of sailing in the port region. Any autonomous vessel navigating such a scene should be able to predict the trajectories of surrounding ships and adjust its behaviour to ...

Abstract: Developing a green and smart port is a significant progress in the specific application of energy conservation and emission reduction as well as intelligent technologies in global ports and maritime shipping sectors. The paper aims to analyze the inherent relationships among different structural factors and proposes specific countermeasures and governance policies for green and smart port construction. It uses interpretive structural modeling analysis to divide the factors into different levels, and draws a model map of green and smart port construction structure. The research result contributes to providing a theoretical basis for governments to formulate a green and smart port policies and establishing effective method systems and technical means for the port industry and stakeholders to leverage intelligent port technologies for the port development.

Abstract: Sustainability issues in the field of shipping, port and maritime logistics, commonly known as the maritime transport and logistics industry, have historically received less stakeholder attention as compared to aviation and overland freight sectors. However, as International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations on ships and port/city interaction has increased since 1997, the stakeholders in the industry have gradually started paying attention to sustainability issues, across all the sectors, such as, aviation, land transport, and supply chain. As a result, the industry has accumulated a significant body of academic research outcomes over the last two decades. This Special Issue aims to examine the various themes in recent sustainability studies, particularly relating to shipping, port, and maritime logistics, and identify and discuss the key topics emerging in sustainability in the industry. It will contribute to increasing industry stakeholders’ understanding of the current situation in sustainability, assist them in the design of appropriate managerial insights and help them develop appropriate sustainability policies for the industry.

Abstract: Ports represent a source of atmospheric pollutants that can contribute significantly to jeopardise air quality of port cities. NOx, SOx, PM and VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) are emitted by ships during manoeuvring in ports at arrival or departure and during hotelling when moored at wharves. Several methods exist to estimate emissions in function of ships’ activity and engine parameters. However, there is still a significant uncertainty in these calculations. This is a severe limitation to develop effective plans of mitigation of air pollution in port cities. In this paper data of NOx and PM10 emitted in port and traffic of passenger and commercial ships have been reviewed and critically analysed. All vessels are lumped into three categories: cruise, passenger ships other than cruise and commercial ships. Emissions have been correlated with traffic data per year: passengers, hours at hotelling and manoeuvring, calls and tons of goods transported. The result is a summary of regression equations that can be used for the estimation of ship emissions in ports based on traffic data. The analysis does not consider emissions of all the ancillary activities that take place at land inside a port like: upload and download of goods, vehicular traffic, manipulation of containers and others.

Abstract: Vessel risk analysis is critical for safe ship navigation and maritime safety management. Near-miss collisions by ships comprise an significant risk, which may be complicated by factors, such as the ship conditions, waterway environment, and driving behavior of any ships encountered. Previous studies have rarely considered how to automatically and adaptively estimate the risk of near-miss collisions for different situations, particularly in port areas. In this paper, we propose an automatic identification system-based approach for adaptively calibrating near-miss collision risk model and assessing a ship’s near-miss collision risk by using the vessel’s speed and course patterns to obtain a robust estimate of the collision risk. Six measures are employed to determine the hierarchical geographical distribution of the near-miss collision risk for ships in port areas and to identify the high-risk areas. Some predicted high-risk areas were validated as official precautionary areas in the Xiamen Port area. All predicted areas may help the port administration to plan monitoring areas to ensure safe traffic flow in the port.

Abstract: A feasibility study for the installation of Wave Energy Converters (WEC) in a Spanish Mediterranean port is evaluated in this paper. The final aim is to evaluate the possibility of building a new infrastructure which combines a breakwater and a WEC able to provide energy to the commercial port of Valencia. An estimation of the wave power potential is made according to existing databases from different sources. A review of the existing WEC types is carried out in order to choose the most suitable technology for its installation in a port environment. The authors discuss the main advantages and issues of the integration of WEC in port breakwaters. A prospective study for the Port of Valencia is made, considering the port energy demand evolution, historical data on wave energy potential and the port expansion plans. We conclude that Overtopping Devices (OTDs) are the most suitable ones to allow the good integration with the new breakwater needed for the expansion of the Port of Valencia and we give an estimation on the power available from the resource in our case study.

Abstract: The global shipping industry contributes a significant part of global greenhouse gas (GHG) and atmospheric pollutant emissions, which would cause serious problems to environment and residents’ health in coastal areas. Shore Side Electricity (SSE) is an efficient energy means for CO2 emission reduction worldwide. However, enormous initial investment, high electricity sale price and charging caused delays set the barriers for the implementation of SSE. This paper proposes a framework for assessing the economic feasibility of SSE investment considering environmental and techno-economic factors. Besides, carbon trading is also integrated in this framework to improve the profitability of SSE investment. Finally, the Port of Shanghai is selected for case study, and 3 scenarios are designed to investigate the economic viability. Results indicate that the income of reduced CO2 emission trading only contributes a little to the overall income, and the port needs to make profits through electricity sale in order to avoid great financial losses. Besides, a more radical investment plan could have better financial performance and more CO2 emission reduction for the port. The conclusions can facilitate policy makers to make SSE promotion policies, that providing subsidies on electricity price may be more useful than just financing the facilities’ implementation.

Abstract: Full electrification and intelligent energy networks compose a very promising solution for the improvement of the efficiency of large ports. Ports comprise a large number of flexible electric loads like refrigerated containers, electric vehicles, electric shore power supplies to ships at berth etc. Smart grids can provide efficient solutions to maximize the flexibility of port power demand and increase at the same time the efficiency of the port power system. In this paper, it is shown that the model of a large port comprises a very large number of decision variables and constraints. Therefore, port operation optimization becomes extremely difficult with conventional methods. The main goal of this paper is to propose an innovative power management method based on multi-agent systems that achieves the above targets. To the best of the authors’ knowledge this problem has not been tackled so far. The proposed method is applied to a realistic case study of a large port comprising thousands of flexible loads and evaluated by detailed simulations.

Abstract: Purpose: Port performance and port choice have been treated as separate streams of research. This hampers the efforts of ports to anticipate on and respond to possible future changes in port choice by shippers, freight forwarders and carriers. The purpose of this paper is to develop and demonstrate a port performance measurement methodology, extended from the perspective of port choice, which includes hinterland performance and a weighting of attributes from a port choice perspective. Design/methodology/approach: A review of literature is used to extend the scope of port performance indicators. Multi-criteria decision analysis is used to operationalize the context of port choice, presenting a weighted approach using the Best-Worst Method (BWM). An empirical model is built based on an extensive port stakeholder survey. Findings: Transport costs and times along the transport chain are the dominant factors for port competitiveness. Satisfaction, reputation and flexibility criteria are the other important decision criteria. The results also show how the availability of different modal alternatives impact on the position of a port. A ranking of routes for hinterland regions is done. Originality/value: The paper focuses on two extensions of port performance measurement. So far, not all factors that determine port choice have been included in port performance studies. Here, first, factors related to hinterland services are included. Second, a weighting of port performance measures is proposed. The importance of factors is assessed using BWM. The approach is demonstrated empirically for a case of the European contestable hinterland regions, which so far have lacked quantitative analysis.

Abstract: Climate change is among the greatest environmental threats facing the globe today and the abatement of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is concerning all the industrial sectors contributing to the problem. The maritime transport sector has already implemented several measures for energy efficiency for the reduction of its GHG emissions, including both vessels and ports. This paper focuses on the prospects and challenges facing the development of a port energy management system. It analyzes the main factors which exert an impact on such a plan and that need to be taken into account for its successful implementation. A SWOT/PESTLE analysis is utilized for the identification of the political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental factors that have a positive or negative effect on the adoption and successful implementation of a port energy management system. This analysis is based on empirical data from two leading North-European port authorities. Given the fact that ports are currently focusing on the reduction of their energy consumption, this paper’s results have particular significance in that they could enlighten and inform the adoption of a port energy management plan within ports.

Abstract: As world seaborne trade continues to grow, especially in view of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), there is a mounting demand for a sustainable balance among the economic, social, and environmental performance of the port cities involved. This study aims to first conduct a review of existing sustainability frameworks; second, conduct a stakeholder analysis for port city sustainable development. The case studies of two major port cities in China—Guangzhou and Shenzhen, are conducted. According to the findings, a structured framework with main categories of economic, social and environmental indicators would be recommended for port cities. Dealing with diversified stakeholders and their interests is a major challenge for policy makers to overcome but opportunities do co-exist. Policy makers of Guangzhou and Shenzhen have made progress in balancing economic, social, and environmental interests in recent years. This study has taken a step forward in the research area, with a view to provide reference to stakeholders and governments in progressing towards sustainable development in port cities.

Abstract: The changing energy landscape in Europe, marked with the development of the Energy Union in 2015, had a profound impact also on the European port sector. With European ports becoming key points of energy production, but also being prominent energy users, energy consumption has naturally risen into a top environmental priority for port authorities. To this end, the paper provides a pragmatic and comprehensive overview of the main policies, technologies and practices that European ports have adopted to-date for enhancing their energy efficiency. Addressing a gap that has been identified in relevant recent literature, it gathers actual data and port experiences from many different sources in a first attempt to better facilitate knowledge and experience-sharing activities, that will support ports in collectively moving towards a zero-emission and climate-neutral future. Most importantly, it presents an effort to rationalize research findings, assist in aligning them with practice, shed more light on the exploitation path of this line of research and better inform future research efforts.

Abstract: The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a national strategy proposed by China to strengthen globalization and regional economic integration, connecting the country to the world. The BRI will drive Ch...

Abstract: Global ports and maritime shipping networks are important carriers for global supply chain networks, but they are also the main sources of energy consumption and pollution. To limit ship emissions in ports and offshore areas, the International Maritime Organization, as well as some countries, has issued a series of policies. This study highlights the importance and necessity of investigating emergent research problems in the operation management of green ports and maritime shipping networks. Considerable literature related to this topic is reviewed and discussed. Moreover, a comprehensive research framework on green port and shipping operation management is proposed for future research opportunities. The framework mainly comprises four research areas related to emission control and grading policies. This review may provide new ideas to the academia and industry practitioners for improving the performance and efficiency of the operation management of green ports and maritime shipping networks.