This study highlights the centrality of port decarbonisation in reducing greenhouse gases (GHG) and achieving global sustainability goals, exploring the trade-off between energy and digital technologies. Furthermore, it emphasises the urgency of adopting integrated governance and investment strategies, calibrated on different geographical scales, to overcome infrastructural and financial constraints, facilitating the transition to modern, efficient and low-emission ports.

The study adopts a two-stage methodological approach. The first consists of a comparative analysis between four Italian ports (Naples, Taranto, Gioia Tauro, Palermo) and four European ones (Rotterdam, Gothenburg, Hamburg, Antwerp). This comparison makes it possible to assess port realities with different infrastructural and economic characteristics, but united by the common goal of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through the adoption of advanced technologies, both energy and digital. The second phase explores the trade-off between energy and digital investments, evaluating environmental, economic and operational benefits.