Ship electrification as a pathway to decarbonize shipping: The case of Perama-Salamina line

Ship electrification offers a promising pathway to decarbonise maritime transportation, especially for short-sea shipping, and activities within port areas. This paper examines the viability of using hybrid or fully electric vessels on a coastal route in the Aegean Sea, with the goal of assessing the positive impact on the environmental footprint. The reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and air pollutants impacting human health and climate is estimated through emission inventories and atmospheric modeling. The line Perama – Salamina was selected for study since it is a busy line in terms of ship itineraries. Considering the current technologies in batteries the distance of the line (1.62 nm) makes it ideal for full ship electrification. Preliminary photochemical modelling results from the environmental assessment for a winter period of the year 2019 showed that by zeroing-out the shipping emissions, the maximum difference in the mean daily concentrations of pollutants such as NO2 could be up to -15.5%. Public consultation revealed support for electrification but noted key barriers like funding, regulation, and incentives; national strategy recommended. In general, the study highlights the potential of ship electrification as a solution to the decarbonisation of coastal shipping.