Model of calculating a composite environmental index for assessing the impact of port processes on environment: a case study of container terminal.

ABSTRACT

Environmental standards are not harmonized in ports and neither are the instruments used for the assessing the condition of environmental efficiency of a port system. The purpose of the research conducted in the framework of this paper is to propose the methodology for calculating the Port Environmental Index (IE) which synthesizes all environmental aspects of port operations into a single value. The goals of the paper were the following (1) to integrate the relevant environmental aspects of port activities and evaluate the impact of port terminal processes on the environment by calculating the IE and (2) to validate the index by applying it to a container terminal in the north-western part of Croatia. IE was constructed using the compound index method where compilation and aggregation of individual indicators were used to form a compound index of the overall effect of port processes on the environment. The validation of IE by applying it to a container terminal (Port of Rijeka, north-western part of Croatia) showed that the IE can be easily applied and its application allows monitoring the overall changes in environmental performance of port areas. In addition, IE can be used to test different pollution abatement strategies including testing interventions in the port processes and determining their share in the overall impact on the environment. In addition, the potential constraints to using such an approach are discussed in the paper.