Scientists team up to measure LNG shipping’s real emissions
Two-year FUMES 2 study to focus on two-stroke LNG engines
The International Council on Clean Transportation is following up its groundbreaking FUMES study, which used drones to count fugitive and unburned methane emissions from ships running on LNG
RESEARCHERS will follow up a groundbreaking study on liquified natural gas ships’ methane emissions to better understand the technology’s real-world environmental impact.
The first Fugitive and Unburned Methane Emissions from Ships study made use of drones to take onboard measurements from ships’ exhaust plumes.
Now the two-year Fumes 2 study will expand its scope to include emissions from two-stroke LNG engines, onboard fugitive emissions and those generated during LNG cargo handling, using a mix of onboard sensors and drone-based technology.
More ships are using LNG as fuel. The global LNG carrier fleet has nearly doubled from 400 ships in 2014 to more than 750 today, with another 300 ships on order.
Methane is a greenhouse gas about 80 times stronger than CO2. Understanding how much of it those LNG ships are emitting will help shipping weigh the environmental costs of investing in LNG as a “green” fuel.
“With the rapid growth of LNG shipping, understanding the full scope of methane emissions is increasingly important for climate policy,” said Bryan Comer, marine programme director at the International Council on Clean Transportation, a Washington-based research group.
“Fumes 2 will generate the most comprehensive data set yet of real-world methane emissions from using and transporting LNG.”
The study is a joint effort of the ICCT, emissions tech firm Explicit, the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research, Queen Mary University of London and the Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping.
It will take measurements from at least five engines, with onboard measurements from fuel tanks, cargo tanks and other sources during at least five voyages.
The ICCT said the study would take drone measurements from at least 20 instances of LNG cargo handling.
The data gathered will contribute to future regulations by the International Maritime Organization and the European Union, including the IMO Lifecycle Assessment guidelines.
The EU Emissions Trading System will be extended to cover methane emissions from 2026, and the IMO’s global carbon price and green fuel standard are expected to kick-in during 2027.
