A new analysis published on 7 October 2026 finds that modest operational changes at sea and ashore can cut fuel burn and greenhouse‑gas emissions by reducing the time ships spend idle outside terminals.
Sources published the report, which draws on a series of port call optimisation pilot projects and modelling work that examine how ships and ports coordinate arrivals. The research highlights that commercial vessels typically spend between four and six per cent of their operating year waiting off port approaches for an available berth.
That waiting time is identified in the report as one of shipping's clearest inefficiencies. When a ship arrives early and loiters, engines remain running or generators continue to operate and fuel is consumed without delivering cargo or revenue, the report explains.
Instead of the prevailing pattern of steaming at higher speeds to reach a port sooner and then waiting, the published work shows that a deliberate combination of slower steaming and tighter port call planning reduces the amount of time vessels are on standby. Adjusting voyage speed to synchronise with berth availability is presented as the operational alternative.
The pilot projects tested practical measures to align arrival times with berth readiness, and the authors report a measurable reduction in fuel use and emissions where those measures were adopted. The savings stem principally from avoiding unnecessary high‑speed steaming and the subsequent on‑site idle time while berths clear.
Practical measures and outcomes
The report sets out how straightforward changes in voyage management and port procedures can lower environmental impact without requiring immediate large capital investments. Slower, more predictable arrivals coupled with improved information exchanges between ships and terminals allowed participating vessels to spend less time circling and more time making commercially productive passages.
Project partners used agreed arrival windows, frequent updates on berth availability and revised passage planning to cut standby time. Where those measures were implemented, the report indicates that fuel consumption devoted to waiting diminished and associated greenhouse‑gas emissions fell accordingly.
Wider industry implications
The report frames port call optimisation as a complement to other decarbonisation tools rather than a replacement. By reducing a readily identifiable inefficiency, the pilots offer an operational route to immediate emissions reductions while longer‑term technologies and fuels are developed and scaled.
Adopting the approaches explored in the projects may require changes to commercial routines and improved coordination across ship operators, terminals and agents. The report suggests such coordination can be achieved through clearer communication protocols and voyage planning practices that favour arrival synchrony over early arrival.
The analysis published by reports draws attention to an area where relatively small behavioural and procedural shifts can yield measurable environmental benefits. For ports and operators seeking near‑term emissions reductions, the findings point to port call optimisation and calibrated steaming speeds as practical, implementable steps.
The report does not propose a single universal solution but presents pilot outcomes as evidence that synchronising ships' arrival times with berth readiness reduces wasted fuel and emissions. As shipping faces mounting pressure to decarbonise, such operational improvements represent one of several levers available to cut the sector's carbon footprint in the short term.
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