Up to 14% less containership CO2 emissions through Just In Time arrivals - Port of Rotterdam
Containerships can reduce fuel consumption and resulting carbon dioxide emissions by 14% on a per voyage basis using Just In Time (JIT) arrival. It is the first global study into the impact of Just In Time Arrivals using real time tracking and fuel consumption data from container vessels in operation, according to the Port of Rotterdam.
Port of Rotterdam has participated in this study by supplying validation data on arrival and departure times. The new study was commissioned by the IMO-Norway GreenVoyage2050’s Global Industry Alliance to Support Low Carbon Shipping (Low Carbon GIA).
Just In Time (JIT) arrivals allow ships to optimise speed during their voyage to arrive in port when berth, fairway and nautical services are available. JIT is an important tool that can contribute to a ship attaining its required carbon intensity indicator (CII) and associated CII rating in accordance with IMO’s short-term GHG reduction measure, which will enter into force later this year. JIT can be taken up, together with other operational measures, in the enhanced Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) which will play a central role in the implementation of IMO’s recent energy efficiency measures.
This latest study, undertaken by MarineTraffic and Energy and Environmental Research Associates (EERA), explores the global implementation of JIT in the container sector. Using AIS data from the calendar year 2019 (pre-pandemic), the impact of JIT on fuel consumption and emissions was assessed by optimizing all voyages in three scenarios:
Over the entire voyage,
Over the last 24 hrs, and
Over the last 12 hrs.
The results show that while optimizing speed over the entire duration of a voyage offers the greatest saving opportunity (displaying a mean fuel saving per voyage of 14.16%), there were benefits in all scenarios with savings of 5.90% (24 hrs scenario) and 4.23% (12 hrs scenario), respectively. This indicates that implementing JIT over the last 12 hours of a voyage can already greatly contribute to fuels and emissions savings.
The Low Carbon GIA is a public-private partnership with the aim to develop innovative solutions to address common barriers to decarbonizing the shipping sector. It has been actively exploring the concept of JIT through various research projects and several industry stakeholder roundtables. In 2020, it published the Just In Time Arrival Guide – Potential Barriers and Solutions, providing guidance to stakeholders towards the implementation of JIT Arrivals.