Source: Splash247
Date: 1st September 2026 

New research highlights the potential for shore power, vessel electrification and cleaner port operations to reduce emissions generated while ships are in port.

Around 10% of international shipping’s greenhouse gas emissions are generated within port areas, according to new research highlighting ports as an important opportunity for maritime decarbonisation.

Researchers from UCL’s Shipping and Oceans Research Group analysed approximately 1.2 million voyages involving more than 43,000 vessels over one year. The dataset covers around 575 million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions from international shipping.

The findings provide a more detailed picture of where shipping emissions occur, distinguishing between emissions generated during voyages and those produced while vessels are operating within port areas.

Electrification creates an opportunity at ports. The significance of the research is not simply the 10% figure, but the potential to address part of these emissions using technologies that are already available.

Among the solutions identified are shore power, which allows vessels to connect to electricity while alongside rather than running onboard engines, and battery-electric propulsion during manoeuvring and idle periods.

Battery-powered vessels could also play a greater role on suitable short-sea routes.

However, the findings do not mean that all of the 10% of emissions generated in port areas can immediately be eliminated. The potential reduction will depend on factors including vessel type, port infrastructure, electricity availability and the practicality of electrification for different operations.

Some countries face greater in-port emissions. The research also identifies significant regional differences.

Small island economies feature prominently among countries with particularly high proportions of port-related emissions. Seven of the ten countries with the highest shares in Latin America and the Caribbean are small island states, while eight of the top ten in East Asia Pacific are islands.

For several countries, more than 20% of shipping-related emissions associated with their trade occur within port areas, significantly above global and regional averages.

To make the information more accessible, the researchers have developed a Shipping GHG Emissions Explorer, allowing governments and port stakeholders to examine emissions by country, port, vessel type and maritime trading partner.

What This Means

• As ports invest in shore power, electrified equipment and cleaner vessel operations, sustainability performance may increasingly become another consideration when companies evaluate maritime gateways and shipping options.
• For businesses measuring supply chain emissions, greater visibility into where maritime emissions occur could also support more informed transportation and sustainability decisions.

Reducing shipping emissions will require changes both at sea and at the interface between vessels and ports.

The research demonstrates that ports can play a meaningful role in that transition. Investments in shore power, electrification and cleaner port operations provide opportunities to reduce emissions in parts of the maritime supply chain where solutions are already commercially available.

As emissions reporting and decarbonisation requirements continue to develop, greater visibility into port-level emissions could help businesses make more informed decisions about the environmental performance of their international supply chains.