Cargill launched port call optimization pilot projects at two Australian ports and one Brazilian port to explore fuel savings and greenhouse gas emissions. These projects investigated three different mechanisms over 16 voyages, and the results indicate significant potential for reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the shipping industry.
Reducing Waiting Time and Optimizing Port Calls
Commercial vessels spend an average of 4 to 6 percent of their operational year waiting to enter port. This idle time is considered one of the glaring inefficiencies in the maritime transport industry. Optimizing port calls allows ships to arrive at the port at the right time, preventing wasted time and fuel. This method enables ships to enter the port at the appropriate time instead of moving quickly and then waiting at anchor.
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Strengths and Weaknesses in Port Call Optimization
The results of Cargill's pilot projects are detailed in a new report from the Global Maritime Forum titled "Turning Waiting Time into Savings: Lessons from Cargill's Port Call Optimization Pilots." This report examines the pilot projects at the Port of Albany and the Port of Newcastle in Australia, as well as Cargill's grain export terminal in Santarém, Brazil. The findings indicate that optimizing port calls and reducing speed are directly related and can lead to significant savings in greenhouse gas emissions.
Cargill's pilot projects show that savings in carbon dioxide emissions per voyage vary on average between 22 to 51 tons. These findings help identify barriers and opportunities for applying these learnings in the shipping industry and can serve as a practical checklist for other maritime companies.
The new report also analyzes the potential value of combining speed reduction and port call optimization and emphasizes the need to focus on this issue in the maritime industry.
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