01122504

Component

Greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping are an increasing concern for those interested in mitigating global climate change. Reducing vessel speed represents one operational option for decreasing such emissions. In this paper, we evaluate whether speed reduction can be a potentially cost-effective measure for ships calling on U.S. ports. The paper applies fundamental equations relating speed, energy consumption, and cost to evaluate speed reduction impacts on a select set of route and vessel data. We estimate that total CO2 emissions from containerships calling on U.S. ports were ~35 million metric tons CO2 in 2002, and calculate CO2 reductions at various speed reductions from this baseline. We explore the relationship between fuel price and cost minimizing speed; we find that economically optimal speed reductions at a price signal equivalent to between $40 and $220 per ton CO2 can avoid between 5% and 40% of CO2 emissions to move the same cargo volumes. The effective price signals in dollars per ton carbon dioxide are compared with policy proposals for carbon taxes, fees, and trading prices. We discuss the potential for policy-based action that may limit or otherwise affect the choice of ship speed through regulatory mandate or economic incentive.

01120148

09-3742

English

26p

2009

Transportation Research Board 88th Annual Meeting

DVD

Figures (7) ; References; Tables (2)

Climate change; Cost effectiveness; Greenhouse gases; International trade; Ocean shipping; Water transportation

Speed reduction

Marine Transportation

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2009 Paper #09-3742

TRIS, TRB

Feb 23 2009 7:41AM