Page 42: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (September 2024)

The Final Word: A Ship's Lifecycle

ANTICIPATING THE FUTURE:

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for Ship Projects

Former postdoc researcher Shqipe Buzuku has been working for the

Finnish ship design ? rm Deltamarin for the past 18 months, pioneering

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for ship projects amid growing interest from key industry stakeholders. Here she explains what LCA involves and how it can empower shipowners to reduce emissions at the early design stage. And it soon may be obligatory.

ince joining Deltamarin, Bu- ing interest among industry stakehold- ing and time consuming. We will also zuku has worked on the three ers – especially ? nanciers investing in need to properly evaluate and plan for formal LCA projects as well as new vessels – even though it is not yet the construction and scrapping phases.

Srelated in-house studies. At the required by the IMO. Most of our clients While shipowners are right now con- time, the company had just embarked are aware of the concept, and some ear- sumed with upcoming regulations such on a three-year, EU-funded project ly movers are approaching us for help as the ETS and Fit for 55 package here called CHEK, which aims to contribute as they don't really understand what it in Europe, we will be ready to help them to decarbonising shipping by enabling entails. We aim to offer, in the ? rst in- when the time comes." key technology symbiosis on real vessel stance, operational LCA – meaning Buzuku sees LCA coming ? rst in off- concept designs. environmental impact/carbon footprint shore shipping serving renewable en- "My job was to develop LCAs for the assessment of the operational phase of ergy production, where there are more two bespoke vessel cases – a Kamsar- a vessel – as part of the design process, enquiries than from mainstream owners. max bulker and a cruise ship – as part as it can guide owners in their choice of "Nobody is using it right now as a basis of a work package in collaboration with fuel and propulsion technologies." for decision making but there is a lot of

World Maritime University in Malmö. Fuel LCA is something the IMO is potential," she says.

The results are now with the European already addressing and Buzuku is sure

Commission and will be published later that performing operational LCAs for Fuel Choice in the spring. We have also written two new ship designs will be the regula- Fuel selection is critical because the scienti? c articles, one already pub- tory norm within 10 years. "That will operational phase represents 80% to 90% lished* and the other currently under likely be extended to cover construction of the vessel’s life-cycle environmental peer review," she says. and recycling, including all the materi- impact. Taking operational LCA into ac-

Her third case was calculating an als and equipment that go into a vessel. count at an early stage of the design pro-

LCA at the request of a client covering This is positive as it will ensure respon- cess could produce better opportunities the operational phase of a Trans-Ship- sible behaviour and banks may refuse to to potentially in? uence the result. "Fuel ment Vessel (TSV) as part of a design ? nance ships without an LCA detailing availability and cost remain the core contract, estimating life-cycle emissions their full impact." drivers, but LCA and the well-to-wake for carbon dioxide, methane and nitro- footprint of each possible fuel will be gen monoxide. The results are subject to In the LCA Vanguard increasingly important as banks typically an NDA. "Deltamarin is doing this up front prefer to fund sustainable vessels." because we want to be optimally pre-

Raising Awareness pared," says Buzuku. "Setting up all the Energy Use and Material Flows "The main driver for LCA is a grow- background information is challeng- Buzuku is sure that LCA will become 42 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • September 2024

MR #9 (34-44).indd 42 9/2/2024 9:39:53 PM