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Embodied CO₂ of Shipbuilding

Steel, machinery, electronics and paint add up to the embodied CO₂ of a new ship hull. Most of it is in the steel - ~2 t CO₂ per tonne of rolled ship-plate. Use this as the upper bound for lifecycle-GHG accounting when comparing retrofit vs newbuild.

LifecycleScope 3
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Formula, assumptions, and limits

Embodied CO2=imiEFi\text{Embodied CO}_2 = \sum_i m_i \cdot \text{EF}_i
SymbolMeaningUnit
mim_iMass of material iit
EFi\text{EF}_iEmission factor for material iit CO₂ / t
MaterialMaterialEF (t CO₂ / t)
SteelBF/BOFworldaverageSteel - BF/BOF world average2.0
SteelEAF(scrapbased)Steel - EAF (scrap-based)0.4–0.8
SteelHDRI+EAF(green)Steel - H-DRI + EAF (green)0.1–0.3
AluminiumworldaverageAluminium - world average10
AluminiumhydrosmelterAluminium - hydro-smelter3
CopperCopper4
MachineryassemblyMachinery assembly5
Paint/antifoulingPaint / anti-fouling3.5

Source: WorldSteel - *Life Cycle Assessment methodology*; IMO MEPC - 4th IMO GHG Study; ISO 14040 - Life cycle assessment principles

In short

Estimate the embodied CO₂ in a new ship hull from steel, aluminium, copper, machinery and paint.

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