When is Short Sea Shipping Environmentally Competitive?

Abstract

Maritime transport is broadly accepted as an environmentally friendly mode of transport in terms of CO2 emissions, and is also receiving government support for promotion and development, often based on presumed performance along environmental dimensions. There is really no debate about the superior comparative efficiency of ships with respect to fuel consumption when calculated per deadweight tonne along routes of similar length. However, the emission figures calculated per deadweight tonne is only relevant for bulk transports, and fuel consumption per cargo tonne is quite different for typical short sea shipping services based on container or RoRo technologies. Further, other emissions to air, like sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particles, are typically very high for shipping – especially when no abatement technologies are applied. The case for short sea shipping as an environmentally-friendly mode of transport is no longer self-evident under realistic assumptions, and needs deeper analysis. The main competitors of such shipping services are rail and road transport. Considering realistic load factors – could the environmental friendly case for maritime transport still be made? This paper is based on the latest data for comparative environmental performance and presents a set of realistic European multimodal transport chains, and their environmental outputs, focusing on fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Through this comparative analysis we differentiate the common comprehension of shipping being the indisputable green mode of cargo transport, and analyze necessary actions that need to be taken for short sea shipping to maintain its green label. Finally, perspectives on both regulatory regime and technology are analysed.