Evaluating environmental impacts of an oil tanker using life cycle assessment method

Abstract

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is considered a holistic approach in evaluating the environmental impacts of a product in its life cycle. Recently, LCA method has been applied in the shipping and shipbuilding sectors. In order to provide a comprehensive LCA research in the field of naval architecture, this study uses LCA method to assess the environmental performance of a Panamax oil tanker in its whole life cycle. The ship’s life cycle including transportation activities is divided into five phases: raw material extraction & production, shipbuilding, operation, maintenance, and ship’s end of life. CML 2001 is chosen as the life cycle impact assessment methodology. GaBi software is used to obtain the life cycle emission inventory and environmental impacts. The results show the contributions of each life cycle phase to the total life cycle. Detailed emissions and environmental impacts of the ship are also analyzed. Due to huge amount of fuel consumed in ship operation, this phase dominates the emissions and environmental impact, compared with other phases. This study gives to the LCA practitioners a cradle-to-grave LCA example that could be useful for future researches in the field of shipping and shipbuilding sectors.

Assessment of the Carbon Footprint of Large Yellow Croaker Farming on the Aquaculture Vessel in Deep Sea in China

“…Similarly, Pham K.Q. et al [24] discovered in their research conducted in 2021 that for a DWT = 74,300-ton ship, GHG emissions from ship construction contributed approximately 2% to the GWP throughout its entire life cycle (excluding ship dismantling). Furthermore, some findings from studies focusing on lighter ships had also been similar.…”

“…The background data obtained from this literature were utilized to model the inputs of feed production and fingerling breeding processes. The quantification of carbon emissions during the construction process of the aquaculture vessel was based on the relevant research findings [20][21][22][23][24] regarding carbon emission assessment in ship life cycles. The carbon emission factors for each transportation in sub-process The list data were collected through a comprehensive approach, including questionnaires, literature reviews, and expert consultations.…”

A critical review and normalization of the life cycle assessment outcomes in the naval sector. Bibliometric analysis and characteristics of the studies

“…Cruise and Ferry Boats 49311 8 2400 passengers transported a day (Tchertchian et al, 2013(Tchertchian et al, , 2016 The vessel construction, maintenance, operation and disposal over the lifetime of 25 years (Blanco-Davis and Zhou, 2014) Transportation of 60 passengers and 20 bikes for 30 years (Pommier et al, 2016) The construction, operation, maintenance, and scrapping of alternative propulsion systems for ferry in a life span of 30 years (Jeong et al, 2018;Wang et al, 2018a) a The construction, operation, maintenance, and scrapping of a short route ferry in a life span of 30 years (Wang et al, 2018b) One ship during its lifetime (Cucinotta et al, 2021) Tankers 49312 6 One average year of ship transport service (Kjaer et al, 2015) The construction, maintenance, operation and the disposal of a tanker for a period of 25 years (Chatzinikolaou and Ventikos, 2015) moving one tonne of crude oil over a 1 km distance (mg-CO2/t-km) (Nian and Yuan, 2017) The transportation of 1 tonne of cargo for 1 km Dincer, 2018a, 2018b) b One oil tanker with a deadweight of 74,296 tons for the transportation of crude oil by sea over its 25-year lifetime (Quang et al, 2021) LNG carriers 49313 1 a system capable of re-liquefying 4000 kg of the BOG (Boil Off Gas) in an hour for 25 years (Park et al, 2020) Cargo vessel 49314 12…”

A Review on Navigating Sustainable Naval Design: LCA and Innovations in Energy and Fuel Choices

“…Regarding the goal and scope definition part, it is crucial to establish the boundaries of the system studied. The overall approach involves a holistic study of the product, which is called cradle to grave (CtG) [34]. This approach typically includes ship manufacturing [35] (or only propulsion-system manufacturing), emissions during ship operation throughout its entire life cycle, and includes activities such as dismantling and recycling.…”