ASSESSMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT BY MERCHANT VESSELS’ VOYAGE MONITORING

Abstract

Maritime or inland transportation is one of the essential elements of the global supply chain, contributing to over 85-90% of international trade. Although sea transportation remains one of the most important and feasible choices of goods transportation for most international trade routes, the impact on the environment is one of the major issues that need to be addressed. The maritime industry is facing high demands to find solutions to operate in a more sustainable way, to find feasible and viable decarbonization solutions. To comply with IMO regulations, the shipping industry must develop and invest in future technologies. The paper proposes a method of monitoring the voyage of a container ship, having different characteristics, to determine the impact of vessel’s activity on the environment. The research method was applied to various means of operation, such as vessel’s speed, the constructive characteristics of the ship (including those of the propulsion system), or the type of fuel used. For each case, the following are performed: monitoring of fuel consumption, calculation of emissions from ships (with an emphasis on greenhouse gases), evaluation of energy efficiency indicators. From this perspective, the article offers an environmental impact assessment solution for merchant ships, to support the management of companies in the decision-making process, to promote environmentally friendly maritime transport and sustainable development of maritime transportation.