Measuring the environmental and energy performance of the Southern Adriatic Sea System Authority. An overview of the sustainability achieved by maritime transport

The analysis focused on the sustainability and efficiency processes implemented by the Southern Adriatic Sea System Authority and regarded the topic Sustainability and energy transition with the aim to process a snapshot of the sustainable and energy performance achieved by some ports located in Southern Italy. Based on the assessment of traffic and energy consumption for each port, new measures were implemented to reduce the energy need and emissions. Particularly, several improvement strategies, such as photovoltaic systems, wind farms, controlled lighting strategies, reduction in consumption in land offices, and replacements of malfunctioning meters, were implemented by the Authority to accomplish the transition policies towards green ports. Methodologically, this replicable study used a dual analysis model based on: data retrieved by authority’s ports monitoring for assessing indirect emissions and, empirical algorithms composed of several data derived from ships in port, type of traffic (commodities or passengers), type of fossil fuel used, gross tonnage, time of stationing in the port, engine power, etc for quantifying direct emissions. In the reference period 2019-2021, the results displayed the highest reduction of Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions equal to 33.7% for indirect emissions and the lowest equal to 3.6% for direct GHG emissions. This paper emphasizes the need for a holistic approach to evaluate integrated models of environmental and energy performance considering all impact categories involved in a supply chain, such as the port one, which has significant burdens.