Norwegian shipowner Knutsen has joined a grouping of classification society Lloyd’s Register, HD Korea Shipbuilding and Offshore Engineering and Hyundai Heavy Industries to measure the carbon emissions through the entire lifecycle of an LNG carrier newbuilding.
The partners will work together on the Joint Development Project in what they claim is a “first cradle to grave” lifecycle assessment of its kind for an LNG newbuilding.
The study will measure the carbon emissions from raw material extraction to the decommissioning and recycling of the ship, including equipment and component manufacture, its transportation to the shipyard, construction and commissioning, operation and maintenance of the ship.
LR said the lifecycle assessment will provide the detailed environmental impact of an identified LNG carrier and its carbon emissions.
It will quantify each construction stage’s raw material usage, energy inputs and environmental releases along with the emissions for the vessel’s operations and eventual disposal.
The class society said the study will determine the environmental output of the vessel build process that it said will help 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”.
It will also lay the groundwork for LR rulesets, requirements and guidance on how to assess carbon emission in the entire lifecycle of a ship, it added.
Knutsen director for newbuilding and innovation Jarle Ostenstad said: “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 optimisation of the fleet and to do more qualified assessments for deciding whether to extend the lifetime of vessels, do conversions or upgrades or build new vessels in order to minimise emissions.”
LR chief commercial officer Andy McKeran 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 is vital information that will help organisations to determine their future sustainability strategies.”
HD KSOE president and chief operating officer Kwanghean An said that as the global environmental regulations are expanding to the entire value chain, the project will be “a crucial step for both shipbuilding and shipping industries”.
“By measuring a ship’s environmental impact through its lifecycle, we can effectively determine improvement priorities and sustainable business strategy,” he said.
