Just-in-time port calls could cut 5% of boxship emissions

Global adoption of just-in-time (JIT) port arrivals in the container shipping sector has the potential to diminish emissions by 5%. This reduction translates to roughly 17m tonnes of CO2 emissions annually, according to a recently published white paper.

The ‘Untapped Potential of Just-In-Time Port Arrivals’ white paper is based on findings of field trials conducted by shipping digital tech startup PortXchange. Research data was gathered over a seven-month period from August 2022 – February 2023.

Datasets were taken from 323 vessels, promising a minimum fuel cost saving of $1,000, based on a bunker price of $815 per metric tonne. The data revealed that if JIT had been implemented across the studied 323 vessels, the cumulative potential savings approximated 24,000 tonnes of CO and over $6m in fuel costs.

Port call data was acquired from analysis of vessel speed profiles 48 hours prior to port arrival.

The paper examined ten strategically significant ports and identified those where JIT port calls could stand to have the biggest gains. These include Buenos Aires, Moin, Valencia, and Tanger Med where about 125 ships operated by major carriers like Maersk and MSC had significant untapped potential for JIT benefits.

In light of the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), the study also concentrated on analysing the potential emissions reduction through the implementation of JIT port arrivals for vessels sailing from different EU ports to Valencia, Vado Ligure, and Gothenburg —identifying significant potential for CO2 savings of 885 tonnes, 359 tonnes, and 692 tonnes, respectively. With the prevailing carbon credit price at €87.87 during the study, these reductions translate to around €170,000 in potential savings on carbon credits for all vessels.

Whilst the advantages of implementing JIT port arrivals are numerous and the model is acknowledged as a viable solution for emissions reduction, its adoption within the industry remains limited.

The latent savings in both CO2 emissions and fuel expenditure signal the pressing need for industry-wide adoption of JIT practices.