Environmental risk assessment in the background of armed conflict in the Black Sea Area. A case study for a container terminal in the port of Constanța

The year 2022 was marked by economic risks with potentially very sensitive impacts for countries in the Black Sea region. Given the limited capacity of Ukrainian ports, as well as the sanctions imposed on Russia, due to ongoing conflict, it was necessary to identify new destinations capable of taking over the flow of goods that normally went to the countries involved in this conflict. In addition to the risks specific to maritime transport, the risk of armed conflict comes with new challenges that can also materialize in the form of environmental impact. To analyze this potential impact, the study is being focused mainly on the analysis of the pollution risk generated by the emissions caused by the vessels calling the container terminal CSCT, located in Constanța harbor, and the emissions generated by the vehicles moving in the terminal. As estimated from the start all levels of pollution have increased, with the level of CO2 increasing from 11072.7 tons in 2021 to 11915.7 tons in 2022. The NOx emissions have a similar trend, as well as the other emission level measured and calculated.