How COVID-19 Affected GHG Emissions of Ferries in Europe

Unprecedented socioeconomic conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic impacted ship-ping. We combined ferry CO2 emissions in Europe (from the EU-MRV) with port call data and vessel parameters, and analysed them using mixed-effects linear models with interactions. We found a generalized reduction in unitary emissions in 2020, confirming its causal relation with COVID-19. Furthermore, for larger ferries, additional and COVID-19-related reductions between 14% and 31% occurred, with the larger reductions for those built before 1999. Ferries operating in the Baltic and Mediterranean Seas experienced comparable reductions in their unitary emissions, but in the North Sea per-ship emissions decreased by an additional 18%. Per-ship emissions at berth, while showing increases or decreases depending on ferry type, did not significantly change at the fleet level. We believe that our methodology may help assess the progress of shipping toward decarbonisation in the presence of external shocks.