By the Society for Gas as a Marine Fuel
The Society for Gas as a Marine Fuel has published its latest Life Cycle Assessment on Liquefied Natural Gas, further demonstrating significant reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to traditional marine fuels. One of the key findings is evidence of up to 29% tank-to-wake greenhouse gas emissions reductions when using LNG compared to MGO 0.1 – an improvement of up to 13% compared to the previous Life Cycle Assessment conducted in 2022 – highlighting the effectiveness of measures to reduce methane slip. This progress contributes to overall well-to-wake greenhouse gas emissions reductions of up to 25%, supported in part by well-to-tank emissions reductions of up to 9% compared to the first LNG Life Cycle Assessment study published in 2019.
SGMF’s studies are critically peer reviewed by industry experts and leading academics and cover multiple pathways, reflecting the distinct carbon intensities of each one. The emissions calculations are based on the performance of a wide range of engine types, including medium-speed 4-stroke and low-speed 2-stroke engines, with the findings reflecting industry progress on emissions reduction with LNG, both upstream and downstream.
Life Cycle Assessments provide a snapshot of the state of the industry at a given point in time. The data that underpins these studies from SGMF is provided by a wide range of stakeholders, from inside and outside its membership.
“Shipowners making decisions on future fuel pathways must rely on independent, fact based full Well-to-Wake data of all the fuels, ensuring decision making that contributes to reducing the overall emission levels in the maritime industry,” said Mark Bell, Managing Director of SGMF. “That is why, as an organisation, we place high value on rigorous independent studies to support our members and contribute to the safe and sustainable decarbonisation of the maritime industry.”
Emma Scheiris, Deputy Director-Environment at INTERTANKO said: “Independent and transparent Life Cycle Assessments are essential for tanker owners and operators. INTERTANKO supports this study’s commitment to robust Well-to-Wake principles that can apply consistently across all fuels and reflect actual supply pathways. It offers a structured assessment to evaluate environmental impact and helps our Members assess their decarbonisation strategies.”
In addition to its LNG studies, SGMF expects to publish its first Life Cycle Assessment on methanol as a marine fuel in mid-2026, which follows its Life Cycle Assessment on ammonia as marine fuel, published in 2024. SGMF plans to publish second editions on ammonia and methanol in the coming years. The eventual full portfolio of Life Cycle Assessments will help the maritime industry to identify the gaps that need to be addressed to enable more uptake of cleaner fuels.
Download the full report here.
