Impact of Decarbonization Strategies on Air Pollution Levels Across Various Vessel Categories by Quantitative Assessment
Keywords:
Seaport sustainability, Energy efficiency in port, Reduce GHG emission, CCS SystemAbstract
Transportation emits greenhouse gases (GHGs) and various air pollutants detrimental to human health. To achieve net-zero GHG emissions by 2050, the maritime industry has implemented increasingly stringent regulations and commitments. Consequently, substantial investments in modern technologies, alternative fuels, and innovative operating methods are being aligned with these new emission standards. This article presents a comprehensive quantitative framework to evaluate the synergistic effects of technical and operational decarbonization strategies. Unlike previous studies, this research integrates black carbon as a critical climate-forcing agent into the CO2eq assessment, aligning with emerging regulatory trends within the EU ETS and IMO frameworks. Furthermore, it establishes a dual-metric evaluation of maritime sustainability by reconciling global climate objectives with local public health impacts through a synchronized analysis of Carbon Taxes and External Costs. The study utilizes a novel load-dependent emission factor set and automatic identification System (AIS) datasets for five ship categories. The findings indicate that while operational methods reduce emissions moderately, transitioning to alternative fuels and implementing onboard carbon capture and storage (ccS) systems are significantly more effective in achieving deep decarbonization and mitigating air pollutants. These results provide detailed insights into the efficacy of various methods in reducing external costs and serve as a valuable reference for regulatory and management agencies.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Nguyen Thanh Son, Phan Van Hung, Huu Long Tran
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