Measurement report: In-depth characterization of ship emissions during operations in a Mediterranean port

Abstract. A summertime field campaign was conducted in Marseille, one of the major cruise and ferry ports in the Mediterranean to provide comprehensive analysis of in-port ship emissions. High-temporal-resolution data were simultaneously collected from two monitoring stations deployed in port area to examine the composition in both gas and particulate phases. More than 350 individual plumes were captured from a variety of ships and operational phases. Gaseous emissions are predominantly composed of NO_x (86 %) and CO (12 %), with SO₂ and CH₄ each accounting for about 1 %. Although NMVOCs make up less than 0.1 % of the gaseous phase, they can be as high as 10% under specific operational conditions. Submicron particles (PM₁) are mainly composed of organics (75 %), black carbon (21 %), and sulphate (4 %) not balanced with ammonium. Among the ship-related characteristics investigated, the operational phase is the most influential with a threefold increase on PM₁ emissions, along with higher relative contributions of BC and sulphate, and detection of vanadium, nickel, and iron during “manoeuvring/navigation” compared to “at berth”. Pollutant levels in the port are higher than those found at the urban background site, with average concentrations of NOx, PM₁, and particle number (PN) up to twice as high. Analysis of the maximum concentrations reveals pollutants such as SO₂ and metals, including Vanadium and Nickel, are 2 to 10 times higher in the port area. This study provides robust support for enhancing source apportionment and emission inventories, both of which are crucial for assessing air, health, and climate impacts of shipping.