Life Cycle Assessment of Port Operations and Its Implications for Energy Transition in the Maritime-Port System

Port operations play a strategic role in global trade but are associated with significant environmental impacts due to intensive energy use, equipment operation, and cargo handling activities. In this context, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) emerges as an essential tool to quantify these impacts and support decarbonization strategies in the maritime-port sector. This study aims to evaluate the environmental performance and energy transition implications of fertilizer import operations in a multi-cargo port by comparing semi-automated and non-automated scenarios through a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach. The methodology followed the standard LCA framework, including goal and scope definition, inventory analysis, impact assessment, and interpretation. Primary data collected in situ were combined with secondary data from the Ecoinvent database, ensuring consistency and representativeness. The results indicate that post-port logistics is the main driver of environmental impacts. In the semi-automated scenario, rail transport consumes approximately 18,800 L of diesel, showing higher efficiency due to its greater load capacity. In contrast, the non-automated scenario relies on 100 trucks, each consuming about 238.75 L per trip, resulting in higher total fuel consumption and emissions. It is concluded that the non-automated system presents higher environmental impacts across all categories analyzed, highlighting the importance of modal choice and operational efficiency in reducing emissions and supporting the energy transition in the port sector.