In September 2023, with the support of Energy Foundation China, Tsinghua University released this research report introducing global emission management practices in inland and coastal shipping and resenting a carbon-neutral strategy for inland shipping in China.

Inland and coastal shipping are integral components of water transportation and have become crucial elements in achieving China’s low carbon and green goals in water transportation in recent years. This report first comprehensively compares emission management in inland shipping in Germany, the United States, and China. After that, it establishes an emission inventory for China’s inland vessels, builds models predicting future demand and emissions for inland shipping, and proposes a carbon-neutral strategy for inland shipping based on these findings.

The research findings indicate that the application of clean energy sources for vessels are key to achieving effective carbon reductions in inland shipping as freight demand increases in the future. When electric vessels account for 50% of total vessels, combined with other emission reduction measures, the carbon intensity of Yangtze River vessels can be reduced by 58.52% by 2060, compared with the 2025 baseline.