To tackle the socio-environmental challenges associated with container ports’ transportation and distribution systems, this study uses Shenzhen Port—the third-largest container port globally—as an example. We analyzed the root causes for the heavy reliance on roadways for port transportation and distribution (such as railway infrastructure availability and cost competitiveness of railways and waterways) and explored the potential for optimizing the transport and distribution system through measures such as roadways to railways, roadways to waterways, and the adoption of zero-emission HDTs. We evaluated if Shenzhen Port could attain the mode shift targets set in the Master Plan of Shenzhen Port (2035) (TPRI 2018) through our scenario analysis and made recommendations on how to improve ports’ transportation and distribution systems to reduce the associated carbon and air pollutant emissions and traffic impacts. 

Using literature and policy reviews as well as stakeholder interviews, this study constructed three scenarios to evaluate the effects of three optimization measures (namely, road-to-rail, road-to-water, and the promotion of zero-emission HDTs) on air pollutant and carbon emission reduction and traffic mitigation for Yantian Port’s hinterland transportation and distribution system, including enhanced-policy scenario (“Enhanced_policy”), stated-policy scenario (“Stated_policy”), and business-as-usual scenario (“BAU”).

The scenario simulation results show the following:

  • First, even with comprehensive measures, the carbon emission reduction potential of the transportation and distribution system of Yantian Port is limited in both the Stated_policy and Enhanced_policy scenarios.
  • Second, although the optimization measures examined in this study have decarbonization potentials, not all measures have air pollution reduction co-benefits. Road-to-rail delivers the largest decarbonization and air pollutant reduction potential among the measures examined in this study. Of note, despite its significant carbon emission reduction potential, road-to-water would result in increases in some air pollutant emissions (such as HC, NOx, PM2.5, and SO2) due to the high pollutant emissions of ships. Therefore, it would be imperative to take additional measures to attain air pollution–reduction co-benefits through road-to-water, such as promoting battery electric inland ships, adopting low-carbon/zero-emission alternative fuels, improving fuel efficiency, and deploying end-of-pipe treatment for ships.
  • Third, the measures of road-to-rail and road-to-water are also helpful in relieving the traffic congestion problem caused by the port’s transportation and distribution system.

The analysis also indicates that no single measure can serve as the silver bullet; to reduce carbon and air pollutant emissions and alleviate traffic congestion, comprehensive measures and multimodal solutions are needed. This includes but is not limited to investing in railway infrastructure, switching to zero-emission ship vessels and drayage trucks, expanding the port’s hinterland areas, improving levels of services for different transportation modes, and improving the timeliness and cost of transloading among different modes. To this end, cross-departmental collaboration is critical. 

Infrastructure expansion and equipment upgrades.

The following infrastructure expansions and equipment upgrades must be accelerated to meet emissions targets:

  • Accelerating the retrofit of the Yantian-Pinghunan railway and the construction of Pinghunan dry port. 

  • Analyzing the feasibility of piloting electric ships and low-carbon/zero-emission alternative fuels. 

  • Expanding charging facilities for battery-electric drayage trucks at truck depots and destination warehouses, at nearby port terminals, and along highway corridors. 

Operation optimization.

To improve the cost competitiveness, timeliness, and levels of services for railways and waterways, we recommend the Shenzhen local government and private sector work together to do the following:

  • Expand the hinterland areas of railways and waterways, given that railways and waterways are not cost competitive for short-haul container transportation and Shenzhen Port sources most of the containers from nearby cities. 

  • Optimize the railway freight pricing mechanism to reduce unnecessary costs of both the trunk and feeder railway services. 

  • Improve the quality of railway services of Yantian Port. 

Institutional safeguards. 

The private and public sectors should prioritize institutional collaboration to ensure multimodal connectivity, including by doing the following:

  • Establishing a company or collaboration mechanism among companies that oversees multimodal transportation and distribution of Shenzhen Port to facilitate data sharing, coordinated operation optimization (such as scheduling), unified customer interfaces, and bill settlement (such as a one-bill-covers-all system for multimodal container transport) across modes. 

  • Optimizing custom clearance. 

Policy incentives, economic incentives, restrictive policies, and target setting.

  • To incentivize the adoption of zero-emission drayage trucks and freight mode shift, we recommend doing the following.

  • Formulating preferential road access policies for zero-emission drayage trucks. Shenzhen local transport, environment, and traffic police departments could do the following:

  • Providing subsidies for the adoption of zero-emission drayage trucks and freight mode shift. 

  • Setting up targets for the promotion of zero-emission drayage trucks and freight mode shift.