Determination of GHG-Emissions of Handling Operations in Multimodal Container Terminals

Abstract

The assessment of emissions caused by logistics operations in general and their allocation to individual customers is a major challenge for logistics service providers. Presently, numerous standards and guidelines exist (e.g. ISO 14064-1, ISO 14065, DIN EN 14040, DIN EN 14044, DIN EN 16258, PAS 2050) for the calculation of GHG-emissions caused by logistics processes. Due to missing or incomplete approaches, the assessments as well as regular updates are quite expensive and time-consuming. This endangers in particular the competitiveness of small and medium-sized (sme) logistics service providers who—in the end—need to gather and provide the relevant information for their clients. To support sme-logistics services providers by calculating and allocating GHG-emissions, a CO₂-method kit has been developed, which was implemented in MS Excel. This method kit consists of various demonstrator-tools for each mode of transport and stationary processes in logistics systems. Even complex transport chains can be illustrated with this CO₂-method kit as well. Overall, the method kit offers a pragmatic solution for everyday business. The underlying calculation methods determine the energy consumption, CO₂- and CO₂-emissions, distinguished between Well-to-Tank (WtT) and Tank-to-Wheel (TtW). These are part of a Well-to-Wheel (WtW)–Analysis. Aim of this analysis is to express global environmental impacts in CO₂-Equivalents—considering the extraction of resources and the usage of fuel (Brinkman et al. 2010). Based on the resulting greenhouse gas values, logistics companies can now identify and carry out appropriate measures to reduce their CO₂-emissions. The existing method kit is currently extended to include the determination of GHG-emissions of handling operations in multimodal container Terminals. An in-depth analysis of terminal handling operations and influencing factors on resource energy consumption was needed to develop the CO₂-method kit extension. As a first step, the layout and load data were analyzed to picture the terminal as well as the distribution of job orders for the observed period. In addition, crane cycle were deconstructed into sub-processes and transferred into standard processes. Container, weight and distance classes were defined for the assessment of the power consumption data. The power consumption data was collected by measurement devices attached directly to the cranes. In course of the evaluation the measured values were accurately assigned against the crane movements and processed orders in the period under review. Finally, average energy consumption values for handling cycles were determined for the defined container and distance classes, based on selected indicators.