Comparative analysis of entropy and environmental impacts of shipping operations on arctic and international routes

Abstract

With the increasing interest in Arctic shipping operations mostly due to global warming, while increasing the sectoral effects in route management, possible environmental sustainability effects are noteworthy. This study aims to comparatively analyze the entropy and environmental impacts of ships operating in the Arctic and international shipping routes. In this study, the entropy productions caused by 11 container ships with different DWTs were calculated and their environmental impacts were examined using two basic indices. According to the results, the Transpolar Sea Route operations without icebreaker escort were forecasted to be all-year-around by 2050 and Northwest Passage Deep Water Route by 2050 routes, produce entropy at approximately 52% higher than the Suez Canal route operations, and their environmental impact was 40.51% higher than the Suez Canal route. Moreover, according to the predicted environmental impact indices for current routes, the Suez Canal route had an average of 34.43% higher environmental pollution compared to the other two routes. However, the average improvement potential for reducing fuel-related environmental effects was found to be 56.35% for the Suez Canal route. Finally, recommendations were presented for the energy, economic potential effects, and sustainability of the Transpolar Sea Route and Northwest Passage Route for future shipping operations.