FOUR companies have partnered to measure carbon emissions and environmental impact across the entire lifecycle of an LNG carrier.
Lloyd’s Register, Knutsen, HD Korea Shipbuilding and Offshore Engineering (KSOE) and Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) are part of the cradle to grave joint development project study.
According to Lloyd’s Register, the project is the first maritime industry study to measure a ship’s emissions from raw material extraction to decommissioning/recycling.
The scope of the research includes equipment and component manufacture, its transportation to the shipyard, construction and commissioning, operation and maintenance of the vessel.
The lifecycle assessment aims to detail the environmental impact of a newbuild LNG carrier and its carbon emissions.
At each construction stage, it would quantify raw material usage, energy inputs and environmental releases as well as the emissions for the vessel’s operations and eventual disposal.
Lloyd’s Register chief commercial officer Andy McKeran said maritime organisations need to rethink the sustainability of the design, build and operation of vessels.
“This first of its kind study will provide stakeholders with the unique opportunity to collect quantifiable data that measures the environmental impact of the ship build process and analysis across a vessel’s entire life cycle,” he said.
“This is vital information that will help organisations to determine their future sustainability strategies.”
The study also intends to help organisations to improve regulatory readiness and provide estimations on the impacts of future regulations, along with data to provide the basis for sustainability strategies.
“As the global environmental regulations are expanding to the entire value chain, our joint development project for the life cycle assessment of ships will be a crucial step for both shipbuilding and shipping industries,” KSOE president and chief operating officer Kwanghean An said.
“By measuring a ship’s environmental impact through its life cycle, we can effectively determine improvement priorities and sustainable business strategy.”
And Jarle Østenstad, director newbuilding and innovation at Knutsen, said the shipping company has, for a long time, wanted to measure emissions created over a ship’s lifetime.
“This project will give interesting results to be used for further optimisation of the fleet and to do more qualified assessments for deciding whether to extend the lifetime of vessels, do conversions/upgrades or build new vessels in order to minimise emissions,” he said.
“We are very happy to be a partner with Lloyd’s and KSOE on this project and look forward to seeing the end results of the study.”
The joint development project also aims to lay the groundwork for Lloyd’s Register rulesets, requirements and guidance on how to assess carbon emission in the entire lifecycle of a ship.
