This study analyzes the changes in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions resulting from the movement of containers from established ports through the emerging port of Taipei in Northern Taiwan. An activity-based emissions model is used to estimate the CO2 emissions of container transport under four scenarios where there are switches of market share from existing ports to the emerging port. The results show that there are greater reductions in CO2 when transhipment routes are changed from the ports of Kaohsiung, Taichung and Keelung to the emerging port of Taipei. The paper concludes that the analytical approach adopted in the paper can help decision-makers understand potential CO2 emissions reduction strategies in the route selection of inland container transportation and such consideration should provide a broader and more meaningful basis for the socio-economic evaluation of port investment projects. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.