Shipping is an important source of pollution affecting both atmospheric and aquatic environments. To allow for efficient mitigation of environmental degradation, it is essential to know the extent of the impacts of shipping in relation to other sources of pollution. Here, we give a perspective on a holistic approach to studies of the environmental impacts of operational shipping through presentation of an assessment framework developed and applied on a case of shipping in the Baltic Sea. Through transfer of knowledge and concepts, previously used in assessments of air pollution, now applied to assessments of marine pollution and underwater noise, the horizon of understanding of shipping-related impacts is significantly improved. It identifies the main areas of environmental degradation caused by shipping and potential improvements through legislation and technological development. However, as the vast majority of contaminants discharged into the sea are not routinely monitored and assessed, the links between pressure of contaminants from shipping and environmental state and impacts will not be caught in the current environmental regulatory frameworks.

航运是影响大气和水生环境的重要污染源。为了有效缓解环境退化，有必要了解航运相对于其他污染源的影响程度。在这里，我们通过介绍在波罗的海航运案例中开发和应用的评估框架，提出了研究运营航运环境影响的整体方法的观点。通过以前用于空气污染评估的知识和概念的转让，现在应用于海洋污染和水下噪声的评估，显着提高了对航运相关影响的理解。它确定了由航运引起的环境退化的主要领域以及通过立法和技术发展进行潜在改进的领域。然而，由于绝大多数排入海洋的污染物没有得到定期监测和评估，航运污染物的压力与环境状况和影响之间的联系不会被纳入当前的环境监管框架中。