Optimal decision making for emissions reduction measures for Italian container terminals

The importance of sea ports in the global logistics maritime supply chain and it connectivity is increasing, as is the focus on optimizing daily operational activities and minimizing the negative impact on society. One of the most significant negative externalities for sea ports is air pollution that remain one the main concern and environmental priority for Port Authorities and Government and their strategic policies. The growth of containerization in the shipping industry stimulates the demand for infrastructure development and increased energy use. This paper strives to propose the best alternative sources of energy to transit from traditional fuel to the greener ones for two important container terminals in Italy. The analyses focus on energy consumption of the most important container terminals Voltri and La Spezia in Italy and analysed using alternative sources of energy. Based on the priorities chosen by twelve experts, the cost, societal and environmental criteria are assigned the highest weight respectively. The Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) and the Technique for Order Performance by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) techniques are used, to identify the best alternative sources of energy.

Automated summary

This study focuses on the energy consumption of two important container terminals in Italy and proposes alternative sources of energy to transition from traditional fuel to greener options. Using the FAHP and TOPSIS techniques, the best alternative energy sources are identified based on cost, societal, and environmental criteria.