The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) announces the launch of FUMES 2 (Fugitive and Unburned Methane Emissions from Ships Part 2). It is an expanded follow-up to the FUMES study measuring methane emissions from ships fuelled by LNG under real-world conditions.
This two-year research initiative brings together an international consortium including Explicit ApS, the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), Queen Mary University of London, and the Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping (MMMCZCS). Targets include two-stroke LNG engines, LNG carriers, and LNG cargo handling operations.
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Tackling knowledge gaps
Building on the successful quantification of methane slip from four-stroke marine engines in the first FUMES project, FUMES 2 will address critical knowledge gaps in understanding methane emissions from LNG engines, LNG carrier ships, and LNG cargo handling. The project comes at a crucial time as the use of LNG as a marine fuel continues to grow, and as the global LNG carrier fleet has nearly doubled from 400 ships in 2014 to more than 750 today, with an additional 300 vessels on order.
‘With the rapid growth of LNG shipping, understanding the full scope of methane emissions is increasingly important for climate policy,’ says Dr. Bryan Comer, Marine Program Director at the ICCT. ‘FUMES 2 will generate the most comprehensive dataset yet of real-world methane emissions from using and transporting LNG.’
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Methane measurement
The two-year project will employ a combination of innovative methane measurement techniques, including:
- Onboard measurements of methane slip from at least five engines, focusing on two-stroke engines.
- Onboard measurements of fugitive methane emissions from fuel tanks, cargo tanks, and other sources during at least five voyages.
- Drone-based measurements of methane emissions from at least twenty instances of LNG cargo handling operations.
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Methane emissions in EU ETS from 2026
This research is timely as the European Union (EU) prepares to implement its FuelEU Maritime regulation in 2025, and as it incorporates shipping into its Emissions Trading System (ETS), with methane emissions set to be covered starting in 2026.
Additionally, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is finalising its own greenhouse gas fuel standard and economic measure, which are both expected to be implemented in 2027.
The project’s findings will be published in peer-reviewed publications, a public report, and a public presentation. Moreover, findings will be presented to IMO and EU policymakers throughout the project to inform ongoing policy decisions.