Greenhouse gas mitigation at maritime chokepoints: The case of the Panama Canal

In this study, we investigate the impact on shipping emissions from improving operational efficiency in a maritime chokepoint such as a canal. We consider several scheduling proposals that allow for different levels of speed reduction for incoming vessels and estimate the resulting emission reduction compared to a benchmark established from ship position data. For our case study of the Panama Canal, we estimate that the canal could have removed up to 1.8 million tonnes of CO2e per year for the period of 2019 to 2021. Our findings suggest that emission reduction can be easier to obtain at intermediate points as many of the contractual barriers to improving operational efficiency do not apply.