Port of Rotterdam to track emissions through digital platform

The digital platform and intelligence gathered will be shared with shipping companies and terminals during the second half of this year, says Port of Rotterdam.

PHOTO: Aerial view of the Europoort area in the Port of Rotterdam

Port of Rotterdam will partner with Netherland-based technology firm BigMile to track transport-related emissions within its waters. For the next six months, the port Rotterdam and BigMile will undertake a pilot project to calculate seagoing and inland vessel movements using AIS data to get a better understanding of the emission levels.

“In the first project phase, we are focusing on area emissions in the port of Rotterdam area, from 60 kilometers offshore to the Brienenoordbrug”, says BigMile project manager Wouter Nering Bögel.

The platform is already proving useful in providing insight on emission levels when berthed at the quay, thus benefitting in developing shore power projects, says Port of Rotterdam.

Last week, the environment group Transport & Environment (T&E) published a report on estimates of carbon emission from shipping activity across key European ports, wherein Rotterdam ranked the highest among the polluters with almost 14 million mt of carbon dioxide emissions annually.