Container traffic emissions

A key feature of a deep water container terminal at Bristol is that its location - relative to the UK hinterland and international container trades – could bring about an overall reduction in carbon emissions for expected levels of future UK container traffic.

As public concern about climate change grows, the impact of emissions from all modes of transport is coming under increased scrutiny. Emissions from heavy goods vehicles – up by nearly a third since 1990 – now represent a quarter of all UK domestic greenhouse emissions.

Since 95% of all freight entering the UK comes by sea, the relationship between ports and the final destination of goods is central to any policy for managing freight transport emissions. A dominant issue for freight – both road and rail – is how the growth in inland distribution of containers can be managed in an environmentally sustainable way.

Contrary to popular expectation Bristol is closer to many destinations for container freight than are other large ports in the South East. This is evident in detailed analysis of UK container import destinations carried out using postcode data from hauliers on the origin and destination points of their cargo (see also the Container Market section). Results show a huge concentration of destinations in and around the West Midlands which are closer to Bristol than to any other deep sea port.

If a higher proportion of UK container traffic uses the new container facility at Bristol there will be an overall reduction in carbon emissions from container freight. Industry and the consumer will benefit through significant cost savings, especially once the carbon trading exchange rate begins to rise. The proposed 1.5m TEU facility would reduce inland distribution costs by millions of pounds and is estimated to save fifty million HGV kilometres with the resultant saving of thousands of tonnes of CO2.

See the Port's publication Cutting Freight Emissions for further details.