How much is rail transport cleaner than ocean shipping?

It is said that China-Europe is a cleaner international shipping method, which is the advantage of taking part in shipping tasks. As we all know, shipping accounts for the vast majority of international freight, and the environmental impact of seaborne vessels has not been underestimated in the eyes of Western researchers.

The severity of the pressure and pollution caused by ocean-going vessels depends on two of the most critical factors: first, the size of the vessel; and second, the dynamics of the design and manufacture of the vessel. Lower drive power, lower speed, also means lower emissions; the larger the international ocean-going ship, the much more serious emissions than the slightly smaller ro-ro ship.

As can be seen from the chart below, the pollution of the cargo ship is much more serious than that of the rail transport, both in terms of greenhouse gases, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and dust particles. Especially on nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, the pollution produced by shipping accounts for 60-70%. Container trucks also account for 50-65% of greenhouse gases, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons.

And from the point of view of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per ton of cargo, air transport is the "culprit" in absolute terms. Due to the huge difference in load capacity, air transport with the smallest weight of cargo and huge requirements for transport power is far more “losing” than ships capable of carrying huge amounts of cargo. The weight of the container truck is also relatively small, and there is also a lot of carbon dioxide emitted per ton-km.

(Blue stands for air transport, green stands for trucks, red for rail freight, and the last one for shipping.)

In addition, among all types of vessels, refrigerated vessels and LNG tankers emit the least amount of carbon dioxide, while liquefied petroleum-powered vessels are the most severe.

In general, freight vessels emit 5-60 grams of carbon dioxide per ton-km, rail freight is 10-120 grams/tonne, and road transport is 75-160 grams/ton.

(In the diagram of the different transport modes of nitrogen oxide emissions given by the Allianz pro Schiene organization, rail freight is about 11 times cleaner than shipping.)

Allianz pro Schiene is a German non-profit association consisting of 23 industry associations working closely with more than 140 railway industry companies. Their aim is to promote and improve rail transport in Germany. In Germany, DBG has achieved 100% use of clean power in long-haul transportation.

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