Decarbonising international freight transport: how to run a tight ship

Shipping, which according to the WTO accounts for 80% of the volume of world trade, is particularly dependent on fossil energy. The industry has got all hands on deck to change tack and achieve its net zero emissions targets for 2050. Of the many solutions that may be implemented, decarbonising ports is key. 

Although the greatest reduction in greenhouse gas emissions generated by shipping will be achieved by substituting fossil fuels with renewable fuels, port infrastructure also has a role to play in this drive for decarbonisation.

Onshore Power Supply – electrifying the quays

The largest source of emissions generated by ports comes from ship engines that stay running even when docked, to ensure onboard systems and essential apparatus, such as container refrigeration systems, continue to operate. To replace the need to keep engines running and thereby step up the pace at which we are able to decarbonise ports, the main solution involves connecting ships to the electrical grid on land so they may use cleaner energy. Known as Onshore Power Supply (OPS), it represents an effective way to decarbonise port infrastructure, providing the energy mix is already low carbon...Powering ships with electricity generated onshore when they are docked at port also helps to reduce the emissions of certain gases that pollute the air, such as sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides and fine particles.

Want to know more? OPS is just one of many solutions that can be implemented to make ports greener and cleaner.

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Actemium, a subsidiary of VINCI Energies, is one of the companies that has installed the most OPS systems, providing a comprehensive service to electrify quays in a way that suits the various types of vessels requiring power.

The company has already applied its expertise in France, at the port of Le Havre, and around the world, for example in the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands, and more recently in Spain. In the first half of 2025, Actemium France equipped the port of Barcelona with an OPS system.

60% of greenhouse gas emissions generated by ports (which themselves account for 11% of total shipping emissions according to the OECD) relate to the use of power from engines while docked.

Vedettes de Paris, which operates sightseeing tours on the Seine, tasked Actemium Marine (VINCI Energies) with upgrading the engines of its fleet in order to electrify five of its boats. The Paris-Trocadéro, which undertakes around a dozen tours each day, was the first vessel to be transformed into a full electric propulsion boat. To reduce the charging time between two tours, Actemium Marine developed a DC fast charging system, which helps to optimise the size of the onboard batteries.