Investigating the Effects of the Covid-19 Epidemic on the Commercial Operation of Passenger Vessels in the Persian Gulf Region

This research investigates the effects of covid-19 on passenger transport in Persian Gulf region; to do this it analyzes the differences in commercial activities and pollution before and after the epidemic wave of covid-19. The raw data was obtained from the international automatic identification system for passenger ships. A comprehensive evaluation of transportation activities was carried out using variance analysis and pollutant emission models. Comparison of these results based on two data sets shows that the Covid-19 pandemic has had a major impact on passenger cruise ships by significantly reducing the number of ships, average speed and average depth of navigation. In contrast, it has lower effect on Ro-Pax ferry vessels. After the outbreak of Covid-19, greenhouse gas emissions from cruise ships and Fery Ropax ships have decreased by 54% and 1%, respectively. The effects of the covid-19 pandemic on cruise ships have been long-lasting and extensive, but due to government intervention, the effects of covid-19 on Ro-Pax ferry ships were minimal.