Institute of Transportation, MOTC

      In recent years, global environmental awareness has grown, with a strong focus on  reducing carbon emissions, impacting domestic container shipping costs in Taiwan.  This study establishes a carbon emissions model for coastal container shipping. It  investigates how shippers can adjust transportation methods considering factors (time  and cost) under different carbon reduction strategies (carbon taxation, carbon trading). The research focuses on coastal vessels, using AIS data and container flow info to  assess emissions in various scenarios, evaluating the environmental impact of domestic 
container transport.

       According to the research findings, shippers tend to choose longer maritime  transportation for domestic containers due to carbon emission costs. When 26.5% of  the total domestic container transportation volume shifts from trucking to maritime  shipping, the overall carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced by 12.96%. Furthermore,  when the usage of maritime container transport reaches 63.8% of the total volume, the 
total carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced by 18.01%. Both carbon tax and trading  cut emissions, especially when shippers prioritize costs, favoring maritime transport.  Carbon trading appears more cost-effective for achieving similar emission reductions  from the shipper's standpoint.