The EcoShipYard (ESY) project is an ambitious project that aims to promote sustainable shipbuilding practices and material circularity in the EU. It does so by developing solutions that reduce a shipyard’s environmental impact, increase energy efficiency, and optimize operations. The project will also measure and reduce non-operational impacts of shipyards themselves.
The sustainable management of ships at the end of their life cycle is critical for the maritime industry’s transition towards environmental sustainability and economic viability. As task leader, the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) plays a pivotal role in ESY Task 2.3, developing a strategy for sustainable end-of-life management of ships that uses Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC) methodologies.
Following a thorough literature review, the team has already started building the framework for composite and steel shipbuilding. We have modelled the shipyard environment into systems and subsystems that describe the processes related directly to shipbuilding and overhead. The list of materials used in the form of bill of materials provided by task 2.1 has been utilized. The Environmental Impact Factors have for the materials have been calculated using the CML-IA methodology and some first results regarding the materials of the hull will be discussed during the 3d General Assembly in Malta.
Furthermore, the direct emissions of the shipyard processes are being evaluated, measured and integrated into the framework. The goal is to identify the hotspots in shipbuilding and create an end-of- life strategy based on the recyclability of the materials used in each use case. Despite limitations imposed by the lack of detailed data in many cases, we are working on creating logical assumptions and cut-off criteria to capture the whole picture of the lifecycle. Data provided by available databases will be merged with those from on-site measurements to create a toll that is tailored to the shipyard’s needs.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program under grant agreement no. 101138730. UK participation in EcoShipYard Project is funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the UK government’s Horizon Europe guarantee [grant-number 10120898].
