Sea shipping in the port of Rotterdam is responsible for carbon emissions of at least 13.7 million tons each year. This makes Rotterdam by far the most polluting seaport in Europe. This is stated by the European environmental organization Transport & Environment (T&E) in a study published on Wednesday.
T&E has tried the CO2emissions from shipping attributable to seaports. It is therefore not about the emissions from all industry around the ports, such as power stations and oil refineries. T&E made an estimate based on the emissions during the shipping routes to Europe and during the stay at the quay (loading, unloading, refueling).
Green shore power
With the report, the organization wants to stimulate the debate about the climate impact of European ports. According to T&E, the European Union should introduce stricter climate measures for the maritime sector more quickly. An example is the accelerated availability of ‘green shore power’. A cruise ship that can ‘plug’ ashore no longer needs to run diesel generators that power the facilities on board (restaurants, swimming pools, casino) and pollute the living environment. In June 2021, the ports in Rotterdam, Antwerp, Hamburg, Bremen and Le Havre announced that they want to provide large container ships with shore power by 2028.
According to T&E, shipping-related emissions in Rotterdam are comparable to roughly four times the CO2emissions from a coal-fired power station. After Rotterdam, the ports of Antwerp follow (7.4 million tons of CO2), Hamburg (4.7 million tons) and Algeciras (Spain, 3.3 million tons). Amsterdam is in tenth place with 2.1 million tons.
In the report, T&E combined European emission data by ship type (report: ‘Monitoring, Reporting and Verification Regulation’, 2019) with data from Eurostat (the EU’s statistical office) on the cargo and passengers handled by the ports. These figures are proportionally attributed to the port concerned. What first arrives in Rotterdam but is only unloaded elsewhere, does not count towards emissions in Rotterdam. The most recent figures are from 2018. Since then, traffic has increased in most ports.
Not ideal
The method may not be ideal, according to T&E. The organization would prefer to use more detailed freight information, but it turned out not to be publicly available. Nevertheless, according to T&E, the research offers a balanced and simple way to compare the climate impact of maritime logistics and seaports. The European data is about freight and passenger transport. Fishing vessels, pleasure yachts and offshore vessels are missing. Emissions only concern CO2. Nitrogen and sulfur emissions are not included.
Rotterdam is at the top of the ranking, among other things, because the port processed far more liquid bulk goods (especially oil) than competitors. Oil tankers stay ashore longer than container ships. Container transport produces more carbon emissions than other ship types; they generally sail faster.
The gains lie mainly in tackling emissions at sea with, among other things, cleaner fuels
spokesman Port Authority
“Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe with almost 30,000 seagoing vessels per year,” says a spokesman for the Port of Rotterdam Authority. “It is therefore logical that the CO2emissions from shipping is also the largest”.
In 2017, the Port of Rotterdam Authority had an investigation into the magnitude of the emissions from the logistics chains via Rotterdam and how you can reduce them to zero. “Since then, we have been working on projects with other parties to reduce emissions,” said the spokesperson. “For example, next month we will start using a large shore power installation in the Caland Canal.” According to him, emissions in the port are 3 percent of the emissions in the chain; 87 percent is emitted at sea, 10 percent in hinterland transport. “The gains are mainly in tackling emissions at sea with, among other things, cleaner fuels such as methanol and bio-LNG.”
More sustainable fuel
In July, the European Commission announced climate legislation that affects, among other things, shipping. This package should ensure that the entire EU, not just shipping, will reduce CO . by 55 percent by 20302 emissions and be carbon neutral by 2050. For example, ships must use more sustainable fuel. Shipowners must buy allowances in the European emissions trading system. There will also be a tax on dirty marine fuel. And EU ports must offer green shore power.
The Commission’s climate plans are now with the European Parliament and the European Council of Ministers. Transport & Environment calls on politicians to speed up the approval of the plans. Furthermore, Europe should refrain from T&E investing in liquefied natural gas (liquefied natural gas, LNG). Ships running on LNG emit less carbon dioxide than ships running on fuel oil, but LNG remains a fossil fuel with corresponding emissions. Those who invest heavily in LNG bunker facilities (‘filling stations’) are less inclined to switch to newer, greener alternatives such as ammonia and hydrogen, according to the environmental organization. In recent years, Rotterdam has invested heavily in facilities for LNG.
The Port Authority believes that shipping should become more sustainable more quickly. “Shipping, like other sectors of the economy, will emit CO . by 20502– should be neutral,” said the spokesman. “At the current pace, the sector cannot achieve that.”
A version of this article also appeared in NRC on the morning of February 2, 2022
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