Ship exhaust emission estimation and analysis using Automatic Identification System data: The west area of Shenzhen port, China, as a case study

In recent years, ship exhaust gases have become an essential source of air pollution. A detailed study of ship exhaust emissions can accurately reflect air pollution intensity in ports with high waterborne traffic. In this paper, ship exhaust emissions in 2018 in the west area of Shenzhen port are estimated based on ship AIS data and fitting results between ship characteristics, including ship length, engines' power, gross tonnage, and maximum speed. This research reveals the emission distributions according to different ship types, months, and operation conditions. The results showed that the contribution rate of exhaust emissions of cargo ships and container ships is at the forefront, In contrast, ship emissions in hotelling and normal cruising are more significant than those in maneuvering and slow steaming conditions. The results presented in this research provide a basis for developing emission reduction measures in port area management and provide relevant experience to other world port areas.