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 vessels themselves, that is during their construction, repair, retrofitting, and dismantling.
The objective of Task 3.4 is to develop the Shipyard Environmental Performance Index (SEPI) to quantitatively assess the environmental performance of shipyards. SEPI will incorporate statistics of processes to enable benchmarking and improvement. This index will consider non-operational environmental impacts, including those associated with ship construction, materials, repair, and end-of-life strategies.
Two approaches are considered for SEPI: one involves creating an index based on emissions to air, water, and soil, while the other evaluates individual processes and techniques based on their environmental impact factors. We are implementing a process that integrates experimental data from Task 3.2 with analyses sourced from various databases. This approach aims to deliver a holistic assessment of shipyard performance and environmental impact.
Furthermore, the project aims to establish a cohesive methodology for assessing shipyard environmental impacts, creating Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) specific to newbuilding, repair/retrofit, and dismantling processes. This will address the lack of consistent evaluation tools and provide meaningful benchmarks for company performance.
Best practice guidelines and criteria will be developed to ensure quality and comparability in environmental assessments across different stages of the ship’s lifecycle. Ultimately, the outcome will be a comprehensive list of Environmental Performance Indicators and the aggregated SEPI to support environmental benchmarking and improvement in shipyard processes.
Co-funded by the European Union. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program under grant agreement no. 101138730.
