A review of green port indicators

Authors

  • Boodsayapan Thitanon Faculty of International Maritime Studies, Kasetsart University, Sri Racha Campus, Chonburi 20230, Thailand
  • Jihong Kim Department of Logistics System, Korea Maritime and Ocean University, Busan 49112, Republic of Korea
  • Thi Thuy Linh Pham Legal Executive of Viet Nam Maritime and Waterway Administration, Vietnam
  • Thi Kim Tin Nguyen Faculty of Economics, Dong Nai Technology University, Dong Nai 76000, Vietnam

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33175/mtr.2026.287808

Keywords:

Environmental performance assessment; Green port indicators; Green ports; Port decarbonization; Port environmental evaluation; Sustainable performance

Abstract

Currently, port environmental footprints are growing due to the increase in maritime logistics activities. To address this issue, ports must become strategic actors in decarbonization and centers of sustainability governance by using “green port indicators” to measure and monitor environmental performance. This study aims to clarify dominant indicator groups, evaluation approaches, and limitations through a structured review of peer-reviewed publications and authoritative grey literature sources, as well as applying thematic synthesis to trace the evaluation of green port indicators across two conceptual periods, 2010 - 2020 and post-2021 (2022 - 2026). The findings present that pre-2021 indicators introduced compliance-oriented localized impacts, in particular, air pollution emissions, energy consumption efficiency, governance readiness, and composite performance indices. On the other hand, the 2022 - 2026 indicators have emphasized the global climate goals, such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions accounting, carbon intensity assessment, electrification and energy transition progress, renewable energy integration, alternative fuel readiness, and system-level sustainability performance. However, methodological concerns remain unresolved, including inconsistent system boundaries, the limitation of port performance improvement from interventions, heterogeneous calculation methods, and overreliance on proxy readiness indicators rather than verified environmental outcomes. In conclusion, the evaluative robustness depends on harmonization improvement, transparency, and causal interpretation, as well as compliance with the environmental regulations and alignment with the global GHG emissions reduction and decarbonization targets.

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Cite this article:

APA Style:
Thitanon, B., Kim, J., Pham, T. T. L., & Nguyen, T. K. T. (2026). A review of green port indicators. Maritime Technology and Research, 8(4), 287808. https://doi.org/10.33175/mtr.2026.287808

 

MDPI Style:
Thitanon, B.; Kim, J.; Pham, T. T. L.; Nguyen, T. K. T. A review of green port indicators. Marit. Technol. Res. 2026, 8, 287808. https://doi.org/10.33175/mtr.2026.287808

 

Vancouver Style:
Thitanon B, Kim J, Pham TTL, Nguyen TKT. (2026). A review of green port indicators. Marit. Technol. Res. 8(4):287808. https://doi.org/10.33175/mtr.2026.287808

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Highlights

  • This study reviews green port indicators’ evolution from pre-2021 to contemporary decarbonization-oriented indicators (2022 - present).
  • The indicators have shifted from pollution measures toward carbon accounting, electrification, and energy transition indicators, demonstrating sustainability, competitiveness, and system-level integration in port performance evaluation.
  • Port environmental evaluation has methodological challenges, including inconsistent system boundaries, attribution uncertainty, and comparisons across ports.
  • Harmonization and multi-level indicators strengthen benchmarking and sustainability governance in green port performance.

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2026-08-11

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