The effect of shipping efficiency on marine petroleum pollution: an empirical analysis of China’s 11 coastal regions

作者：Xina Ji, Xingong Ding, Wanli Hu, Yuxi Qiu · 发表于：Frontiers in Marine Science · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.3389/fmars.2025.1645175 · 被引用次数：1 · 研究领域：Maritime Transport Emissions and Efficiency、Maritime Ports and Logistics、Vehicle emissions and performance

Introduction Marine petroleum pollution has adversely affected marine ecosystems and human living environments, while improvements in shipping efficiency offer a new avenue for mitigating such pollution. Methods Based on panel data from 11 coastal regions in China spanning 2010 to 2022, this study examines the impact mechanisms of shipping efficiency on marine petroleum pollution and further analyzes the moderating effects of port specialization and environmental regulation. Results The results indicate that, overall, shipping efficiency in coastal regions has shown a steady upward trend, with an average efficiency index of 1.046 and an annual growth rate of 4.6%. However, some regions, such as Liaoning, Shandong, and Tianjin, have experienced declines in efficiency, highlighting regional disparities in development. Regression analysis reveals a significant negative relationship between shipping efficiency and marine petroleum pollution. The two-way fixed effects model shows that a 0.01 increase in shipping efficiency corresponds to an approximate 0.01% reduction in marine petroleum pollution, suggesting that enhanced shipping efficiency effectively contributes to improving marine environmental quality. Furthermore, the moderating effect analysis demonstrates that both port specialization and environmental regulation exert significant negative moderating effects on the relationship between shipping efficiency and marine petroleum pollution. Discussion Overall, this study enri...