Determination of key operational and environmental performance indicators in dirty solid bulk terminals. Implementation in the Spanish Port System

Sustainable management of the port sector should be understood as one that brings together a reduction in the consumption of energy and natural resources, the volume of waste generated and the negative impacts on social systems and ecosystems in the areas of influence of the port; and allows for an increase in the volume of merchandise traffic and the number of passengers. In order to carry out a sustainable management it is necessary a previous study and to deduce a series of behaviors and tendencies to propose solutions or alternatives. For this reason, an integration of environmental indicators and operational performance indicators (KPIs) has been made in the research, customized for dirty solid bulk. Six representative terminals have been chosen to represent the entire Spanish port system, so that once our list of indicators has been defined, a study of behavior and interrelation of some parameters with others has been carried out in order to describe trends or conduct, and a Cluster analysis has also been performed. Through the study that relates the environmental factors and the indicators of management and operation, it is observed, a priori, that the solid bulk terminals of the Spanish port system that have a similar behavior, based on the management Vs environmental relationship, are those of Santander, Carboneras (Almería), Tarragona and A Coruña. Gijón and Algeciras are the terminals that exhibit different behaviors.