LR, partners to measure carbon emissions of newbuild LNG carrier from cradle to grave

Lloyd’s Register (LR), Knutsen, HD Korea Shipbuilding and Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) have teamed up for a joint development project (JDP) to study environmental impact across the entire life cycle of an LNG carrier.

As part of JDP, the partners announced the first maritime industry study to measure carbon emissions through the entire life cycle of a newbuild LNG carrier.

The JDP will measure carbon emissions for the entire life cycle of a ship from raw material extraction to decommissioning/recycling of the ship, including equipment & component manufacture, its transportation to the shipyard, construction and commissioning, operation and the maintenance of the ship.

The Lifecycle Assessment will provide the detailed environmental impact of an identified LNG carrier and its carbon emissions, quantifying each construction stage’s raw material usage, energy inputs and environmental releases as well as the emissions for the vessel’s operations and eventual disposal, LR explained.

The study will determine the environmental output of the vessel build process, helping organisations to improve their regulatory readiness and provide estimations on the impacts of future regulations, along with data to provide the basis for sustainability strategies. 

The JDP will also lay the groundwork for LR rulesets, requirements and guidance on how to assess carbon emission in the entire lifecycle of a ship.

Andy McKeran, Chief Commercial Officer, Lloyd’s Register, said: “As part of the decarbonisation of our sector, maritime organisations need to ensure that they 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. This is vital information that will help organisations to determine their future sustainability strategies.”

Jarle Østenstad, Director Newbuilding and Innovation, Knutsen, commented: “We have for a long time been interested in finding out lifetime CO2 emissions from a ship. This project will give interesting results to be used for further optimization 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 minimize emissions. 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.”