It’s difficult to quantify the emissions load generated by LNG bunkering for oceangoing ships. Rystad Energy has released a study of this from Well to Tank.
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is currently an important maritime fuel as the industry tries to transition to a lower carbon footprint. LNG-fuelled ships now account for over 20% of the current order book.
The question is this: how does LNG perform in terms of greenhouse emissions? One needs to consider how it’s produced (Well!), transported, liquefied, stored, and processed for bunkering, as well as the loading process. That’s the study’s focus.
They found 13.9 grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per megajoule heating value, known as LHV. This broke down into 4.2 gCO23/MJ, for upsteam; 1.3 for transportation and processing; 5.9 for liquefaction; 1.8 for shipping and distribution; and 0.7 for bunkering operations.
The total of 13.9 compares with the FuelEU Maritime figure of 18.5 gCO2e/MJ, which Rystad says is too high.
A key quote from the article:
Rystad’s Vice President Emissions Research, Patrick King, commented: “Our analysis is based on asset-level data that ties specific gas fields to liquefaction facilities. This approach, supported by satellite-detected methane plume data and reported asset information, gives a more accurate picture of the LNG actually used for bunkering, rather than relying on outdated or overly broad averages.”
It seems like the right way to do the analysis.
The study is available from Rystad Energy or asoffered by Rystad
Paul Bartlett, Correspondent
September 4, 2025
https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/lng/rystad-releases-findings-on-lng-bunker-supply-chain-emissions
Supply Chain and Logistics 