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Embodied CO₂ of Shipbuilding

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Cradle-to-gate embodied CO₂ for a new ship’s hull and machinery.

Formula

$$ \text{Embodied CO}_2 = \sum_i m_i \cdot \text{EF}_i $$

Symbol legend

SymbolMeaningUnitSource
$m_i$Mass of material $i$tstructural weight report
$\text{EF}_i$Emission factor for material $i$t CO₂ / tWorldSteel / IAI / EPD databases

Typical emission factors:

$Material$EF (t CO₂ / t)
$Steel - BF/BOF world average$2.0
$Steel - EAF (scrap-based)$0.4–0.8
$Steel - H-DRI + EAF (green)$0.1–0.3
$Aluminium - world average$10
$Aluminium - hydro-smelter$3
$Copper$4
$Machinery assembly$5
$Paint / anti-fouling$3.5

A 20,000 t steel bulker built from BF/BOF steel embodies ~40,000 t CO₂ - roughly 2 years of operational emissions at typical utilisation.

Sources

  • WorldSteel - Life Cycle Assessment methodology.
  • IMO MEPC - 4th IMO GHG Study.
  • ISO 14040 - Life cycle assessment principles.