Posted on September 16, 2024
The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) has released a study on US port emissions screening for berthed vessels, highlighting the importance of prioritizing port electrification.
As informed, ICCT used the SAVE model, accompanied by AIS data, to estimate NOX, SOX, PM10, and CO2 emissions from ships berthing in 129 U.S. ports in 2019. In the absence of shore power, ICCT estimated that ships at berth in these ports emitted approximately 27,000 tonnes of combined air pollutants (NOX, SOX, and PM10) and nearly 1.4 million tonnes of CO2.
Port analysis
Of the 129 ports considered in the analysis, 43 had nearby communities with average incomes below the national median and were also within EPA-designated NAAs. ICCT categorized these 43 ports into four priority levels based on the total air pollutant estimates from ships and the total population in nearby BNM tracts:
- Priority 1 ports: At-berth vessels emitted a combined 4,400 tonnes of air pollutants at the New York City and Los Angeles port groups, which had more than 3.5 million people living in nearby BNM tracts.
- Priority 2 ports: At-berth vessels in the five priority 2 ports (New Orleans, Seattle, the Galveston port group, Houston, and the Oakland port group) emitted more than 5,200 tonnes of air pollutants, with 1.5 million people living in nearby BNM tracts.
- Priority 3 ports: At-berth vessels in the seven priority 3 ports (the Philadelphia port group, the Portland (OR) port group, the Chester port group, Tacoma, Baltimore, the Boston port group, and San Diego) emitted more than 3,500 tonnes of air pollutants, with more than 3.1 million people in nearby BNM tracts.
- Priority 4 ports: At-berth vessels in the 29 priority 4 ports emitted an estimated 1,150 tonnes of air pollutants, with 5.8 million people living in nearby BNM tracts.
