DNV concludes methane slip measurements to reduce reported GHG emissions

Direct emissions measuring can positively impact ship’s reported carbon footprint compared to using standard factors, DNV concludes in a newly published statement. DNV recommends methane slip measurements as part of the strategy moving forward. 

In a major step towards reducing the shipping industry’s greenhouse gas emissions, DNV has published a new recommended practice for measuring and reporting methane slip from LNG-fuelled engines. LNG is becoming increasingly common, but achieving complete combustion remains a challenge – leading to the release of unburnt fuel and thus methane slip, DNV establishes.

As the industry transitions to greener fuels like LNG, minimizing methane slip is critical to achieve the intended climate benefits, as methane has a global warming potential far greater than CO₂. Current regulations allow shipowners to report methane emissions using standardized factors – but direct emissions monitoring equipment can be used to document actual emissions and potentially lower the reported figures.

This need for accurate data has driven the latest development of Green Instruments’ CEMS, the G7200 Multi Gas Monitoring System in combination with the newly introduced GreenView Emissions Insight. The G7200 is equipped to monitor methane (CH₄) emissions directly, and GreenView Emissions Insight combines this data with relevant onboard input from fuel and engine, to provide total mass emissions including the exact methane slip.

Accurate, direct measurements of methane can, as an alternative to standardized factors, reflect positively on the reported carbon footprint of an LNG ship. Even small improvements in reported emissions can have a substantial impact when aggregated into CO₂ equivalents.

Like DNV, Green Instruments is committed to making stakeholders equipped for demonstrating their environmental performance with confidence by offering transparent, comparable emissions data that reflect the real performance.

Read the full DNV publication here.