# Harnessing AI for Sustainable Shipping and Green Ports: Challenges and Opportunities
## 1 Introduction
IMO regulations mandating the use of low-sulfur fuel oil (LSFO) and the expansion of emission control areas (ECAs) in the most vulnerable regions (including the North Sea and the Baltic Sea) have compelled shipowners to seek solutions to reduce emissions of sulfur and other harmful substances. Unfortunately, in an effort to cut costs, shipowners prefer cheaper solutions called scrubbers instead of paying for higher-quality fuel, which has led to another problem [16]. Scrubbers on ships are devices used to clean exhaust gases. They reduce the emissions of sulfur compounds and other harmful substances. Scrubbers remove pollutants from exhaust gases, such as sulfur oxides (SOx) and particulate matter. Water or an alkaline solution (e.g., sodium hydroxide) is used to neutralize these pollutants. Exhaust gases pass through scrubbers, where they react with water or the alkaline solution and are then cleaned. Unfortunately, the water used for scrubbing contains these pollutants. Harmful exhaust components such as sulfur oxides, carcinogenic compounds, and heavy metals do not enter the air but are discharged into the sea. The shipping industry profits by using cheap, highly polluted fuel instead of cleaner alternatives. Scrubbers reveal a conflict of interest between economic considerations and environmental protection [17; 18]. 3. Release of freon (CFCs) and halon gases--old refrigerants and fire-fighting gases that pose a major threat to the environment. There are prohibited in many parts of the world and replaced by more environmentally friendly gases [19; 20; 21];
4. Oily mixtures from the engine room (ER), which can pollute the ocean if pumped overboard. The only time when a vessel is allowed to pump engine room bilge water overboard is when pumping it through an oily water separator, which separates the oil from the water and measures the oil contents in the overboard water. If the oil content is more than 15 ppm (parts per million) it is not allowed to pump it overboard, and this water must retain onboard in dedicated tanks for delivery to an appropriate shore facility [22; 23; 24];
5. Paint, tin, and poor condition of the antifouling system, which is used to prevent the accumulation of marine organisms on the ship's hull. These organisms, such as algae, crustaceans, and mollusks, can attach to the ship's hull, leading to increased hydrodynamic resistance, fuel consumption, and operational costs as well as an increased risk of transferring invasive species between different ecosystems [25; 26; 27; 28];
6. Discharge of ballast water and bilges, which can pose a threat to coastlines by introducing alien species into the local ecosystem and causing irreversible changes. Therefore, the Ballast Water Management Convention of 2004 obliges ships to apply one of the two ballast water control standards presented in the Section D Standards for Ballast Water Management. Ships carrying ballast water and using the D-1 method, i.e., ballast water exchange, in order to meet the requirements described in RegulationB-4 of the BWM Convention, should exchange ballast water at a distance of no less than 200 nautical miles from the nearest land and in water depths of no less than 200 m. If these requirements cannot be met, ballast water should be exchanged as far from land as possible, at a distance of no less than 50 nautical miles, maintaining a sea depth of 200 m. Ships performing ballast water exchange shall do so with an efficiency of 95 per cent volumetric exchange of ballast water (i.e., 95% of the volume of the tank must be exchanged). Because ballast water exchange is not always possible or effective, the D-2 regulation Ballast Water Performance Standard was introduced, which can be achieved by equipping the ship with a ballast water treatment system.