Energy consumption and emission analysis for electric container ships

Abstract

The increasingly stringent international environmental protection requirements and the progressively tougher compliance requirements of shipowners have also put forward new development needs for low-emission, clean-energy vessels. At present, more than 90% of China's water transport ships still use diesel-powered propulsion systems, which have issues such as high fuel costs, high noise levels, and pollution emissions. Compared with traditional ship power systems, the ecological advantages and comprehensive benefits of electric propulsion-type ships are obvious. However, there are also issues, such as shorter range and battery life, which need to be analyzed in depth. This paper establishes a life cycle energy consumption model and emission model for the comprehensive benefits of electric ships and conducts an economic benefit analysis. The results show that electric ships have significant advantages in environmental protection, energy saving and lower costs while electric ships for containers have great prospects for future development. This paper provides a useful exploration for the international shipping industry to adopt effective measures to control ship emissions.