A Bottom-Up Comparative Assessment of LNG and Diesel Fuel Pathways for Decarbonizing Port Operations

Abstract

Maritime ports represent concentrated emissions zones due to the simultaneous operation of manoeuvring ships, auxiliary engines and diesel-driven cargo equipment. This research applies a detailed bottom-up framework to quantify emissions arising from port operations, comparing marine diesel oil (MDO) to liquefied natural gas (LNG). A 600,000 TEU container terminal was modelled with representative vessel data and operating pro-files sourced from simulation, auxiliary load modelling and equipment duty cycles. Marine diesel operation produced approximately 595,000 tonnes per year of carbon dioxide (CO2), 6,480 tonnes per year of sulphur oxides (SOx), 276 tonnes per year of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and 14.2 tonnes per year of particulate matter (PM). Switching to LNG eliminated SOx, reduced PM by more than eighty per cent and lowered NOx by fifty-eight per cent, while cutting CO2 emissions by approximately twenty-two per cent. Yet even under LNG, the terminal would require more than 150,000 hectares of mature temperate forest to offset its residual CO2. The analysis highlights LNG as an effective transitional fuel that alleviates air quality burdens while ports invest in electrification and prepare for zero-carbon alternatives such as ammonia, hydrogen and renewable-derived synthetic fuels.