Sustainable port infrastructure, practical implementation of the green port concept

TLDR

Sustainable port infrastructure seeks to reduce environmental impacts while sustaining economic growth, driven by trade expansion and competitiveness that compel ports to continuously optimize and cut costs, with a key challenge being the empowerment of workers to achieve lasting performance gains. This research presents a methodological framework for identifying realistic solutions to the future development challenges of seaports. The study applies the green port concept in a case study, testing, deploying, and demonstrating energy‑efficient solutions, with a focus on state‑of‑the‑art technologies and pilot initiatives to reduce fuel consumption and emissions in rubber‑tired gantry cranes. The case study demonstrates that the green port approach can achieve overall energy‑efficiency improvements through systematic testing, deployment, and demonstration of energy‑efficient technologies.

Abstract

The overall idea and research interest related with the development of sustainable port infrastructure evolved around the core requirements of continuous reduction of negative environmental impacts without jeopardising economic growth. The growth of trade activities and need for competitiveness on the global market are forcing ports around the world to systematically and continuously evaluate all possibilities for the optimisation and related costs reduction. On the implementation level, the greatest challenge is how to empower workers, who operate machines and work on the shop floor, to achieve enduring performance improvements. Presented research work provides a methodological approach for finding realistic solutions to the problem of the future development challenges of seaports. The case study shown in this research represents a practical application of the green port concept with the emphasis on the overall energy efficiency improvement based on testing, deployment and demonstration of energy efficient solutions. Additional emphasis was placed on the state-of-the-art technologies and developing pilot initiatives based on modern energy solutions designed to improve efficiency in fuel consumption and emissions reduction in rubber tired gantry cranes.