01126787

Component

Greenhouse gases (GHG), the gases that cause climate change, are a major global concern. In the transportation sector, GHG reduction initiatives focus on passenger travel over goods movement, despite increasing freight demand and related emissions. California, with its recent GHG reduction legislation and large freight centers and corridors, provides a unique case study to evaluate the introduction of an alternative freight mode. Short sea shipping (SSS) offers a low GHG emission alternative to overland modes such as heavy-duty trucks. Analysis shows that this service is justifiable from a demand and operational perspective. Estimation of GHG emissions change from mode shift shows that SSS could significantly assist the California freight corridor in meeting a GHG reduction goal. The operational speed of short sea ships is a more crucial factor than ship size in influencing overall GHG emissions, and the target market does not require excessively high speed. Under lower speed, increasing ship size is not expected to bring significant emission benefits, but adds the carrier's economic risks under demand uncertainties. In addition to market segmentation, reliability is another key to the SSS's market penetration. The economic potential of SSS is dependent on carrier-based efforts; moreover, governmental intervention can incentivize its development.

01120148

09-2972

English

20p

2009

Transportation Research Board 88th Annual Meeting

DVD

Figures (1) ; References (28) ; Tables (3)

Exhaust gases; Freight traffic; Freight transportation; Greenhouse gases; Heavy duty trucks; Intermodal transportation; Pollutants; Short sea shipping; Transportation corridors

Emissions reduction

California

Environment; Freight Transportation; Highways; Marine Transportation; I15: Environment

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2009 Paper #09-2972

TRIS, TRB

Jan 30 2009 7:21PM