EcoShipYard aims to provide EU shipyards / shipowners with tools to assess the non–operational environmental impacts of ships and environmental performance of shipyard processes.
The problem
The European shipbuilding industry is striving to respond to challenges related to competitiveness, innovation and sustainability (MAPFREE, 2022)1, whist considering GHG emissions from floor processes during the ship’s lifecycle non-operational activities (shipbuilding, repair, maintenance, refit). These processes generate pollution and waste at high energy consumption and other costs. Dismantling practices at ships’ end-of-life are waste and scrap.
Scrap volume is estimated at 1.3-2.1 million LDT/year EU-wide.
The solution
To improve shipyard environmental performance and ship materials circularity, implementation of progressive technologies for shipyard processes, better management and reduction of energy use and waste and enhanced materials’ traceability are necessary to enhance sustainability according to the EU Green Deal and EU Circular economy action plan.
Ship lifecycle phases from conception to ends-of-life and (partial) reincarnation.
Shipyard operations & processes
Since shipyards work on multiple contracts simultaneously, it is important to distinguish energy used for each project. In addition, as certain non-operational activities are predictable (e.g., maintenance) and other are not (e.g., repair, maintenance) a generic procedural scheme can be developed to estimate environmental impacts of shipyard activities via digital modelling calibrated via monitoring.
In launching EcoShipYard, its target aims at creating a road map for shipbuilding processes to minimize environmental impacts, add decision support to ship’s life cycle, and ensure compliance with regulations and directives.
EcoShipYard delivers a TRL8 product as a business/service targeted to shipyards to help them to quantify their environmental performance, to assess their impact, and to assist them to becoming greener. To deliver the expected RTD outcome, EcoShipYard considers development of models, digital tools, digital twin, and validation forthe: Ship at its non-operational activities, and Shipyard processes/operations.
Objective of EcoShipYard is to provide stakeholders and shipyards of various sizes and dealing with vessels of all types of construction materials (steel, aluminium, composites) a dependable and affordable toolset in the form of a flexible and extendable cloud-based platform, so to enable end users to perform continuous monitoring and assessments related to the sustainability of their operation.
To achieve the EcoShipYard objective, the platform will provide components for sustainability assessment with appropriate data storage, whist the mechanism to fill the storage with data will be standardized giving the end-users the freedom to decide which tools and 3rd-party systems to integrate.
In this framework, EcoShipYard will seek a systematic collection of available software applications (within consortium, open source) for services.
Models/Tools will be further enhanced to provide technology means for sustainability monitoring and assessments (e.g., precise Life Cycle Assessments (LCA).
This approach will enable to:
Systematically perform continuous monitoring and assessment of sustainability performance of the operation, whist Tool will support the Plan–Do–Check-Act (PDCA) as defined in ISO:50001. The ISO approach will enable organisations to incrementally improve their operations by considering sustainability (environmental, economic, social aspects) through consistent data acquisition and advanced assessment techniques (e.g., data analytics, LCA, simulations and optimization)
Register/administer equipment, parts, materials, and support assessments of non–operational sustainability performance (ships) and enhance life cycle, and consider recovery, recycling, and reuse.
Endeavour of EcoShipYard is to:
Deliver a useful, tangible, and easy to use product for shipyards and other stakeholders.
Provide an opportunity to the EU shipyard industry to lead the way in promoting shipyard sustainability aligned to the goals set by the Green Deal and “Fit for 55” package.
Support the EU Circular Economy Action Plan on GHGs reduction, incl. alignment with the WFD goal (of 70% recycling and preparation for reuse of non-hazardous waste and an 85% recycling target for ships by 2030).
In parallel, EcoShipYard aims to achieve two major targets:
1.
To obtain a Class Certification for its product, which will offer sustainable shipyard Ecosystem services for a fee. The certification will ensure the maintenance and sustainability of the system up to 2030, providing a reliable and high-quality service to the industry.
2.
To establish a European Economic Interest Grouping, which is a form of a spinoff company (EEIG by partners, associated partners, governing EC rules) before the end of the project.
The EEIG to be expanded with additional industrial stakeholders, experts providing state-of-the-art added value. The EEIG services will be enhanced via a Living Lab (LL) and other means until 2030. The EEIG and the LL will enable the offering of cutting-edge services beyond the project duration, making a lasting impact on the industry and contributing to the transition towards a sustainable and circular economy.
Specific Objectives
EcoShipYard delivers technologies aimed at a roadmap for sustainable green EU-shipyard operations and self assessment. It bridges cross-sectoral multidisciplinary technology areas and provides tools and recommendations for greener shipyards based on ever-changing needs and it responds to 10 Topic Outcomes via 5 derived specific objectives:
1.
Design/Implement a digital twin shipyard model for energy, emissions control, and waste management
2.
Development of the Shipyard Environmental Performance Index (SEPI), relevant KPIs and contribution to the ship environmental performance indicator of non-operational activities
3.
Enhance environmental awareness, technical, organisational, and training guidelines for Shipyard
4.
Circular and Sustainable Management of Ship Lifecycle
5.
Living Lab (LL), LL Cluster (LLC), LL Training to deliver TRL8 product to market via EEIG
Ambition & Innovation
EcoShipYard builds upon and expands the perception of sustainable materials usage in shipbuilding and repair by focusing on 3 RTD:
- Effective collaborative framework: Fosters frameworks: Foster collaboration between shipyards, suppliers, and shipowners, by best practices, developing standards, and collaborating on RTD, the industry to accelerate pace of innovation R&D, to ensure the entire industry is engaged towards the goal of sustainability;
- Use of digital technologies: Use of digital twin and simulation tools (e.g., blockchain) for the shipyard to advance processes and minimize materials and resources. The use of blockchain and other digital technologies can enable tracking and management of the supply chain, whist reducing waste and improving transparency;
- Circular Business Models: Industrial effort to consider sustainability and circularity. New models (e.g., An industrial demand is the development of circular business models to incentivize sustainability and circularity, such as leasing, pay-for performance) reward sustainability, and industry can seek benefits. Models of Ship/Material-as-a-Service (e.g., lease to shipping Co), could be an incentive for shipyard to look at the entire lifecycle. ➔ EcoShipYard paves the road of suitable material (value chain)
EcoShipYard assumes a comprehensive approach to emissions management, building upon state-of-the-art practices and expanding on research/innovation as:
- Platform tools to assessing emissions in line with EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, and waste management and waste reduction measures based on monitoring and efficient wastewater treatment systems in line with the EU’s Waste Framework Directive;
- Recycling policy: Implementation of circularity (steel products recycling reuse of materials at the end of their useful life (e.g., for com- posites). Circularity to move) and, thus, moving away from the conventional linear model of manufacturing and consumption, in model in closed-loop recycling;
- Digitalization and Automation: Smart technologies (already exploited in shipping) to optimize shipbuilding process and minimizing waste and emissions (e.g., optimize performance/quantity of coatings and other materials, reducing need for specimen testing). VR/AR tech to reduce risk of humans to hazardous substances and improve operational safety
EcoShipYard will focus on the RTD aspects:
- Integrate digital technologies (sensors, data collection systems for predictive maintenance) to create a comprehensive energy management system to monitor/optimize energy usage.
- Advice on migration to renewable energy sources: to integrate renewable energy (e.g., solar, wind, backup battery).
- Collaborative frameworks: Collaboration between shipyards, suppliers, and energy providers to create a more sustainable and efficient energy Ecosystem. This can include new business models (e.g.., power purchase, energy service contracts) that incentivize energy efficiency and renewable usage, and establishment of a network of renewable energy providers for affordability
To progress beyond the state-of-the-art, EcoShipYard will focus on:
- Streamlining regulatory compliance by delivering tools to assist shipyards / suppliers / shipowners navigate the regulatory landscape. This will include a centralized database of regulations and compliance requirements, and the delivery of software tools to assist users determine which regulations apply to specific situation. Shipyard status assessments via EcoShipYard platform will be based on ISO:9001/ISO:50001 certifications (for a greener yard) and introduce a plan for implementing, verifying, and validating smart technologies and their impact in materials and energy management;
- Harmonizing regulations across jurisdictions to promote cross-jurisdictional coordination to harmonize regulations across regions. This could involve working with organizations such as the IMO/EMSA to develop common standards and applicable regulations;
- Develop incentives for sustainable practices that go beyond regulatory compliance. This could include developing certification schemes and a Passport for sustainable shipbuilding and repair practices, as well as offering financial incentives for companies that demonstrate commitment to sustainability;
- Create public-privatepartnerships to align industry, government, and civil society for policies and practices
EcoShipYard Shipyard Ecosystem
The shipbuilding complex ecosystem involves various stakeholders, such as shipyards, suppliers, and customers. To understand and optimize this system, a holistic approach must be considered, that involves, material flow, components, equipment, energy, and other input to the shipyard.
The key EcoShipYard components are:
A generic Digital twin shipyard model (DTS) encompassing shipyard processes, energy use, emissions and other, and considering both, (a) the non-operational enviro-impacts from shipping and (b) the enviro-impacts from the shipyard.
A list for low-energy/low polluting processes
Set of pilot demonstrators
A material accounting system next to shipyard energy in-and output flows
A ship Lifecycle Performance Assessment (LCA) for the impact of non-operational operations, providing shipbuilders and owners with digital tools for informed decisions at various stages
A Materials Passport in line with the EU’s Waste Framework Directive, Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe projects, and regulations such as Regulation (EU) No. 1257/2013 (EU SRR) and the Hong Kong Convention. A blueprint to expand to the non-hazardous materials to enable better tracking and achieve circularity
A shipyard enviro-performance index (SEPI) and reference benchmarking in line with the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive
A platform integrating all operational procedures and information incl. the DSS and the DTS
An extensive promotional and marketing plan with a Living Lab, a training and capacity building program based
on AR/VR, and a
marketing study with an EEIG (European Economic Interest Grouping)
