- Implementing port call optimisation strategies, such as Just-In-Time (JIT) arrivals, can significantly decrease fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
- By minimizing idle time at anchor, ships can operate more efficiently, leading to cost savings and environmental benefits.
A new insight brief from the Global Maritime Forum outlines how better coordination of vessel arrivals at ports can unlock significant operational and environmental benefits.
Achieving operational and environmental benefits
The report, ‘Port call optimisation: A pathway to reducing waiting times and emissions,’ explores how the maritime sector can reduce emissions through measures such as moving away from the inefficient “sail fast, then wait” practice. This long-standing practice sees vessels speeding to ports only to sit at anchor, unnecessarily burning fuel and generating emissions.
Port call optimisation enables ships to adjust speed based on real-time port readiness, ensuring they arrive when berth space and nautical services are available. The approach reduces idle time, improves efficiencies across the value chain, and lowers the risk of accidents. Importantly, it also cuts fuel consumption and supports emissions reduction targets.
The brief highlights two key strategies: virtual arrival, which allows ships to slow down mid-voyage using charterparty clauses, and just-in-time arrival, a more systemic solution that requires multilateral coordination across the port call ecosystem. While virtual arrival can be implemented through bilateral agreements, the report notes that broader industry impact depends on port and terminal leadership.
Ports or terminals could require virtual arrival, incorporating it into their operational requirements or contractual terms and thereby shifting virtual arrival from bilateral agreements to a multilateral approach involving multiple stakeholders. This would expand its impact to all ships calling at a port or terminal.
With emissions reduction targets approaching, the report highlights that port call optimisation is a practical, immediate, and collaborative step the industry can take to improve efficiency and accelerate progress towards decarbonisation.
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Source: Global Maritime Forum
