Abstract

Shipping transportation plays an important role in global trade as it is cheaper and greener than the other transportation modes. The greenhouse gas emissions emitted from ships are especially concerned due to the development of shipping transportation. Greenhouse gas emissions cause many negative effects on the environment including global warming potential (<em>GWP</em>). This study uses the life cycle assessment (<em>LCA</em>) method to estimate the <em>GWP</em> of a cargo ship in its entire life cycle. The ship’s life cycle contains five main phases: material production, shipbuilding, maintenance, ship operation, and ship’s end of life. <em>GaBi </em>software application is used to model the ship’s life cycle and to obtain the results. The <em>GWP</em> indicator in <em>CML</em>2001 methodology is used to assess the impact of the ship on the environment. The results show the dominance of the ship operation phase to the life cycle. Carbon dioxide emissions are the main factor which have significant impact on <em>GWP</em> due to its huge amount in comparison with other greenhouse gas emissions. The research shows the advantages of <em>LCA </em>method and indicates that this method should be used in maritime industry as it could give a holistic view of a product in terms of the environment.