Next to the Top-10 environmental issues identified by the joint survey of EcoPorts and ESPO, there are some more environmental issues, often met in port operations. These are:

1. Discharges to water
2. Emissions to soil
3. Emissions to sediments
4. Changes in terrestrial habitats
5. Changes in marine ecosystems
6. Odour
7. Resource consumption
8. “Port development (sea)” aspects

1. Discharges to water
Water discharges refer to any kind of release to the port waters. The typical activities that can generate water pollution are the spillage of products during cargo handling or storage, the discharge of ballast water, the discharge of residual waters, etc. This kind of pollution and its fate and distribution can create potential harmful effects on health (human and wildlife), the environment, fisheries and recreational pursuits.

Numerous regulations on water quality have resulted from International concern about marine pollution, contaminated fishery resources, microbial health risks, loss of wildlife and eutrophication of coastal waters and small seas (e.g. Baltic).
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2. Emissions to soil

This aspect is referred to the emissions carried out by current or past industrial activities released to the soil, ground or land.  Contaminants can include liquid releases to soil, disposal of solid bulk, residues, wastes, etc. The most common sources could be underground storage tanks, chemical drums, heavy metals, scrap metals, discarded machinery, organic chemicals or pathogens.

The impacts related to this aspect can be the contamination of surrounding land, ground water or water courses due to leaching. Land contamination may reduce land value, prevent future development and be an environmental or health hazard.
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3. Emissions to sediments

This aspect involves any kind of release (e.g. fuel) or solid product (e.g. waste) reaching the bottom of the sea. The presence of these substances in sediments can produce negative effects on the benthic community and as a consequence on the whole food chain, due to the fact that some animals feed on benthic organisms.

Several activities exist that can produce emissions to the bottom of the sea, but the most common ones are dredging, bunkering and shipping and navigation.
Dredging is one of the most common activities carried out in a port to maintain navigation channels and access. It can have significant impacts because some dredged material is contaminated by heavy metals or other pollutants remaining from past industrial activities. This disturbance can re-release contaminants into the food chain, starting the process of bioaccumulation.
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4. Changes in terrestrial habitats
The coastal ecosystem provides an extraordinary biodiversity of plants and animals. For this reason the surrounding areas of some ports may become conservation or protected areas (e.g. woodlands, wildlife corridors, Natura 2000 sites).

The activities of the ports can disturb the habitat of these species and their natural behaviour.  For this reason The Habitat Directive places increasingly stringent controls on development or activities that may significantly impact this kind of habitats.
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5. Changes in marine ecosystems

Marine ecosystems are also noted for their diversity of flora and fauna. There are several port activities which may interfere with the marine ecosystem such as dredging, shipping and navigation, bunkering, etc. As a result of these activities these habitats can be damaged producing a range of impacts from disturbance to potentially fatal damage to the organisms living there. The Habitat Directive has also established some regulations for the conservation of important marine sites, as well as species.
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6. Odour

Although odours can be considered as an emission to the air, they have been separated from this aspect due to the peculiarity of this problem in the ports. Moreover the different nature of this aspect in comparison to other kinds of emissions to the air like gas or particles requires such a distinction. 

The odour can be defined as any kind of release of substances which produce unpleasant smell. It can come from different activities carried out in a Port like fisheries, waste management, chemical plants, etc.
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7. Resource consumption

This aspect includes the consumption of non-renewable energy sources like electricity, heat from incinerators, fuels (coal, gas and oil) and of other natural resources (e.g. water).

The consumption of fossil fuels means a release of carbon dioxide, nitrogen and sulphur oxides and other pollutants. This pollution can create several impacts like trans-boundary pollution (acid rain), global warming, the depletion of non-renewable resources, etc.  Improved energy efficiency may help to reduce air emissions and save money.
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8. “Port development (sea)” aspects

The increase in the maritime transport around the world has contributed to the expansion of Ports (e.g. new docks, new facilities) in order to provide maximum surface to the port users. This can entail greater use of sea space, or reclaiming land from the sea which may cause different effects:

a. Alteration of the coastal hydrography causing:
    - Changes in currents.
    - Water stagnation which can lead to eutrophication processes and waste accumulation.
    - Erosion or accrual of some coastal areas. 

b. Interaction with the marine ecosystems, disturbing the benthic habitat, increasing turbidity over a wide area and re-suspending contaminants.
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