Sustainability Performance of Port Infrastructure—A Case Study of a Quay Wall

Poonam Taneja, Godert van Rhede van der Kloot and Mark van Koningsveld
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Poonam Taneja: Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Section Rivers, Ports, Waterways and Dredging Engineering, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CN Delft, The Netherlands
Godert van Rhede van der Kloot: Maritime and Transport Business Solutions BV, Wijnhaven 3, E, 3011 WG Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Mark van Koningsveld: Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Section Rivers, Ports, Waterways and Dredging Engineering, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CN Delft, The Netherlands

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 21, 1-13

Abstract: Ports form a vital link in the global maritime supply chain, and adherence to the UN sustainable goals in each port development and operation is all-important. Improving the sustainability performance of port infrastructure requires identifying all relevant aspects of sustainability, defining suitable performance measures, applying tools for quantification, and proposing intervention measures if needed. We present a framework for assessing and managing the sustainability performance of port infrastructure incorporating these elements. We apply the framework to quay walls in the Port of Rotterdam (PoR); however, the information to assess only four out of fourteen sustainability themes was available. This fact underlines the need for sustainability monitoring and reporting. We also present a case study of a quay wall in PoR. Based on the vision of PoR and literature, the sustainability theme ‘air pollutants’ was given priority, the selected performance measure being the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. Dubocalc was chosen as a quantification tool and estimated a total emission of 1.9 kt of CO 2 eq for a 100-m length of quay wall over a 100-year lifecycle. The measures proposed to achieve climate neutrality in 2050 include using renewable energy for the Impressed Current Cathodic Protection and the temporary drainage systems, electrified transport and machinery, hydrogen as dredging fuel, and steel with hydrogen as a reduction-agent in the future. These could result in a total GHG reduction of 86% by the year 2050.

Keywords: sustainability performance; GHG emissions; sustainable infrastructure; quay walls (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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