Comprehensive Assessment of Ship Emissions at Ambarlı Port, Turkey: A Bottom-Up AIS-Based Inventory and Sustainable Mitigation Pathway Analysis

Achieving sustainable maritime transport requires comprehensive understanding of port-related emissions and evidence-based mitigation strategies. Maritime shipping significantly contributes to air pollution in port cities, threatening environmental sustainability and public health, yet comprehensive emission inventories remain scarce for major ports in developing economies. This study presents the first bottom-up emission inventory for Ambarlı Port, Turkey’s largest container port, utilizing AIS data from Global Fishing Watch for calendar year 2025. Emissions of CO2, NOx, SO2, PM10, PM2.5, CO, and NMVOC were quantified using EMEP/EEA activity-based methodology with IMO Tier II emission factors and vessel type-specific load factors (75% for passenger, 45% for cargo) from ENTEC guidelines. Non-commercial vessels (tugs, service craft, fishing vessels) and lay-up vessels exceeding six months continuous berthing were excluded to focus on active commercial shipping operations, resulting in a validated dataset of 10,267 port visits from commercial cargo, passenger, and bunker vessels. Annual emissions from active commercial vessels totaled 404,766 tonnes CO2, 8487 tonnes NOx, 6724 tonnes SO2, 914 tonnes PM10, and 849 tonnes PM2.5. Passenger vessels dominated the inventory (93.3% of CO2) due to high auxiliary power demands for hotel services and elevated load factors, while cargo vessels contributed 6.5% despite representing 61.4% of port visits. Turkish-flagged vessels accounted for the majority of domestic ferry traffic. These findings provide baseline data for air quality management in the Istanbul metropolitan area and support policy development regarding shore power implementation, with particular emphasis on reducing emissions from passenger vessels with extended berth times. From a policy perspective, prioritized shore power investment at passenger ferry terminals emerges as the most cost-effective emission reduction strategy, with potential to eliminate over 90% of port-related air pollutant emissions through public-private partnership models.