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Applied Sciences
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Improving the Environmental Performances of Maritime Transport and Ports
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Improving the Environmental Performances of Maritime Transport and Ports

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Marine Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2022) | Viewed by 18289

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Matteo Ignaccolo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Catania, Via Santa Sofia, 64, 95123 Catania, Italy
Interests: transportation; transport planning; transport management; transport economics; transportation planning; sustainable transport; seaports and maritime transport; port planning and management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Elen Twrdy

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Maritime Studies and Transport, University of Ljubljana, Pot Pomorščakov 4, 6320 Portorož, Slovenia
Interests: transportation; transport planning; transportation planning; maritime logistics, sustainable transport; seaports and maritime transport; port planning and management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Nadia Giuffrida

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
Interests: transportation and land use; spatial analysis; participatory transport planning; transport and social inclusion; geographic information systems; planning for accessibility
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent decades, globalization has led to an exponential increase in the amount of goods shipped by maritime transport, with huge economic performances for the regions in which ports are located. On the down side, maritime transport can cause several externalities, with environmental issues occurring during all phases of navigation, and especially at ports. Mitigation measures must be oriented to ensure the environmental sustainability of maritime transport, guaranteeing resilience of the practices envisaged, especially in the light of the disruptive challenges our world is nowadays facing.

International guidelines and practices have dealt with the different issues and environmental impacts caused by maritime transport, in particular in port areas, by providing innovative and efficient solutions; the next step is to frame the management of ports and maritime transport with a focus on environmental protection, guaranteeing optimization of operations while providing environmental improvements.

Based on this premise, this Special Issue seeks to collect high-quality papers addressing the contemporary challenges and innovations aimed at operations and management of ports and maritime transport in order to improve environmental performance. Contributions may include state-of-the art research, development of new models, proposal of policies, and analysis of new mitigation measures in this research area.

Topics to be discussed in this Special Issue include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Modeling emissions in maritime and ports operations
  • Innovative technologies for environmental improvement in shipping and ports
  • Case studies and solutions to cutting emissions in maritime transport
  • Port and terminals planning and operation design to improve enviromental management of shipping and ports
  • Enviromental management systems and indicators
  • Resilience practices in environmental management of ports and shipping in the aftermath of COVID-19

Prof. Matteo Ignaccolo
Prof. Elen Twrdy
Dr. Nadia Giuffrida
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

emissions in maritime operations

port environmental policies

shipping environmental impact

port sustainability

sustainable maritime transportation

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Editorial

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2 pages, 172 KiB  
Editorial
Special Issue on Improving the Environmental Performances of Maritime Transport and Ports
by Nadia Giuffrida, Elen Twrdy and Matteo Ignaccolo
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(3), 1730; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13031730 - 29 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 896
Abstract
In recent years, we have witnessed an increase in maritime freight transport, leading to great economic performance for the ports and regions in which they are located; this has also led to an increase in related externalities, with environmental issues occurring during all [...] Read more.
In recent years, we have witnessed an increase in maritime freight transport, leading to great economic performance for the ports and regions in which they are located; this has also led to an increase in related externalities, with environmental issues occurring during all the phases of navigation, and especially at terminals [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving the Environmental Performances of Maritime Transport and Ports)

Research

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18 pages, 1735 KiB  
Article
Multicriteria Analysis of Alternative Marine Fuels in Sustainable Coastal Marine Traffic
by Nikola Mandić, Helena Ukić Boljat, Toni Kekez and Lidija Runko Luttenberger
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(6), 2600; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11062600 - 15 Mar 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2598
Abstract
Marine transportation is considered to be one of the most important aspects of global transportation services. Due to the increase in marine transportation, there are significant impacts on the marine environment. One of the possible measures for mitigation of the environmental impact could [...] Read more.
Marine transportation is considered to be one of the most important aspects of global transportation services. Due to the increase in marine transportation, there are significant impacts on the marine environment. One of the possible measures for mitigation of the environmental impact could be switching to environmentally friendly fuel. However, the alternative fuel selection process is considered to be a problem due to various criteria to be considered and stakeholders that should be involved in the selection process. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the application of multicriteria analysis as a decision-support tool for the alternative marine fuel selection problem in coastal marine traffic. The suggested methodology takes into account environmental, technological, and economic aspects, and ensures the participation of different stakeholders in the selection process. The priority ranking of the alternatives is based on a combination of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Simple Additive Weighting (SAW). The implementation of this method considers the involvement of relevant stakeholders through evaluation of the criteria weights and performance of each alternative with respect to each criterion. The method is applied for the case study of Croatia, where the results demonstrated that the best alternative for all stakeholders is electric propulsion, even though there are differences in opinions and perceptions with respect to the objectives and criteria. The findings of this analysis, likely the first of this type in this area, can serve as a solid basis for strategic planning. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving the Environmental Performances of Maritime Transport and Ports)
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13 pages, 2109 KiB  
Article
The Importance of Environmental Factors in the Planning of Container Terminals: The Case Study of the Port of Augusta
by Nadia Giuffrida, Maja Stojaković, Elen Twrdy and Matteo Ignaccolo
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(5), 2153; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11052153 - 28 Feb 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3713
Abstract
Container terminals are the main hubs of the global supply chain but, conversely, they play an important role in energy consumption, environmental pollution and even climate change due to carbon emissions. Assessing the environmental impact of this type of port terminal and choosing [...] Read more.
Container terminals are the main hubs of the global supply chain but, conversely, they play an important role in energy consumption, environmental pollution and even climate change due to carbon emissions. Assessing the environmental impact of this type of port terminal and choosing appropriate mitigation measures is essential to pursue the goals related to a clean environment and ensuring a good quality of life of the inhabitants of port cities. In this paper the authors present a Terminal Decision Support Tool (TDST) for the development of a container terminal that considers both operation efficiency and environmental impacts. The TDST provides environmental impact mitigation measures based on different levels of evolution of the port’s container traffic. An application of the TDST is conducted on the Port of Augusta (Italy), a port that is planning infrastructural interventions in coming years in order to gain a new role as a reference point for container traffic in the Mediterranean. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving the Environmental Performances of Maritime Transport and Ports)
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15 pages, 3507 KiB  
Article
Dynamic Load Modelling within Combined Transport Trains during Transportation on a Railway Ferry
by Alyona Lovska, Oleksij Fomin, Václav Píštěk and Pavel Kučera
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(16), 5710; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10165710 - 18 Aug 2020
Cited by 42 | Viewed by 3558
Abstract
The development of foreign economic activity of the Eurasian states led to the introduction of rail and ferry transportation. It is important to note that the current normative documentation does not fully cover the issues of transporting combined trains by sea. This can [...] Read more.
The development of foreign economic activity of the Eurasian states led to the introduction of rail and ferry transportation. It is important to note that the current normative documentation does not fully cover the issues of transporting combined trains by sea. This can lead to a violation of the traffic safety of both the railway ferry and the transport of containers as part of combined trains by sea. In this connection, we investigated the dynamic loading of a container as part of a combined train when transported by a railway ferry. To ensure the stability of the container relative to the frame, we suggested an improvement of the load-bearing structure of a flat wagon. Additionally, we suggested the use of a viscous linkage between containers with the aim of reducing their dynamic load. To justify the suggested solutions, we carried out a mathematical modelling of the container dynamic load. The calculation was performed in MathCad. Due to the fact that the container has its own degree of freedom when transported by sea, the accelerations were separately determined for the supporting structure of the flat wagon and for the container. We found that the total amount of acceleration that acted on the container was 3.57 m/s2 (0.36 g) and on the load-bearing structure of the wagon was 2.47 m/s2 (0.25 g) which were, respectively, 38% and 23% less than the acceleration values in the typical scheme of their interaction. To determine the fields of acceleration distribution relative to the load-bearing structure of a flat wagon with containers, we carried out computer modelling of their dynamic load. The maximum percentage of discrepancy between the accelerations obtained by mathematical and computer modelling was 17.7%. The study will contribute to the creation of recommendations for the safe transport of combined trains by sea, as well as to increasing the efficiency of combined transport through international transport corridors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving the Environmental Performances of Maritime Transport and Ports)
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Review

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24 pages, 1516 KiB  
Review
Black Carbon and Other Air Pollutants in Italian Ports and Coastal Areas: Problems, Solutions and Implications for Policies
by Thomas L. Brewer
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(23), 8544; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10238544 - 29 Nov 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2954
Abstract
Ships’ emissions of air pollutants pose problems for local and regional public health and agricultural production, as well as global climate change. The Italian government’s endorsement in 2019 of the creation of a Mediterranean Emission Control Area is a reflection of increasing concern [...] Read more.
Ships’ emissions of air pollutants pose problems for local and regional public health and agricultural production, as well as global climate change. The Italian government’s endorsement in 2019 of the creation of a Mediterranean Emission Control Area is a reflection of increasing concern about the emissions. Also, ongoing developments in the International Maritime Organization and in the European Union add to the Italian government’s maritime shipping agenda and increase its complexity and uncertainty. In that context, this review paper addresses two central questions: What are the consequences for human health and agricultural production of ships’ emissions in Italian ports and coastal areas? How can their emissions be reduced? The approach to these questions is inter-disciplinary. It applies the results of studies in atmospheric chemistry and physics; maritime shipping engineering; public health; agriculture; economics; and international law and policymaking to assess current and prospective policy issues in Italy. The principal conclusions are that: (1) Black carbon emissions are threats to human health and agricultural production in Italy, as well as to the global climate. (2) It is important that black carbon emissions receive more serious attention in policymaking processes in order to reflect the significant analytic progress that has been made in terms of understanding the problems it poses and the technological and policy solutions. (3) There are cost-effective, emission-reducing measures that are readily available, as well as other measures needing more time before full-scale implementation. (4) Although existing multi-level governance systems pose complex analytic and policymaking challenges, they also offer opportunities to institute new policies with significant short-term and long-term co-benefits from reductions in emissions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving the Environmental Performances of Maritime Transport and Ports)
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Other

17 pages, 938 KiB  
Systematic Review
Port-Related Shipping Gas Emissions—A Systematic Review of Research
by Filip Bojić, Anita Gudelj and Rino Bošnjak
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(7), 3603; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12073603 - 1 Apr 2022
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3194
Abstract
The global increase in shipping activity has contributed to the degradation of air quality, which particularly affects traffic-dense port areas. Due to the environmental and public health impacts of air quality in port cities, a number of inventories using varying methodologies have been [...] Read more.
The global increase in shipping activity has contributed to the degradation of air quality, which particularly affects traffic-dense port areas. Due to the environmental and public health impacts of air quality in port cities, a number of inventories using varying methodologies have been conducted over the past two decades to manage gas emissions in specific areas. The objective of this work is to determine one relevant methodology for estimating ship emissions in ports through a systematic review of the relevant literature. In this research, PRISMA guidelines were followed through a multi-layer bottom-up analysis approach to ensure the validity of the proposed methodology. The aforementioned methodology, as the end result of this research, is intended to provide an empirically structured basis for further development of a novel indexing model of ship gas emissions in port areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving the Environmental Performances of Maritime Transport and Ports)
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