ECOSHIPYARD

Project Information

ESY

Grant agreement ID: 101138730

DOI

10.3030/101138730

EC signature date 7 December 2023

Start date 1 January 2024

End date 31 December 2026

Funded under

• Climate, Energy and Mobility

Total cost

€ 5 183 777,50

EU contribution

€ 4 157 410,26

Coordinated by

ETHNICON METSOVION POLYTECHNION
Greece

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ESY (ECOSHIPYARD)

Reporting period: 2024-01-01 to 2025-06-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

In the realm of shipbuilding, sustainability remains a pressing concern. Traditional practices often result in a long list of environmental impacts, ranging from resource depletion to emissions. Addressing these challenges is crucial for both the industry’s longevity and the planet’s well-being.
In this context, the EU-funded ESY (EcoShipYard) project aims to minimise shipyard environmental impacts and boost energy efficiency.
ESY is a research and innovation project aimed at promoting sustainable shipbuilding practices and material circularity in the EU. The project is focused on developing solutions to reduce the environmental impact of shipyards, increase energy efficiency, and optimize operations and also measure and reduce the non-operational impacts. The project team consists of shipyards, research organizations, and technology providers from different EU member states.
The project will examine technologies and processes to reduce the environmental impact and improve energy efficiency in shipbuilding and operation. These include the use of renewable energy sources, electrification of ports, and optimization of logistics and operations. ECOSHIPYARD will also develop digital tools to support sustainable shipbuilding practices. These tools will enable shipyards to monitor and manage their environmental impact, assess their carbon footprint, and identify opportunities for improvement.
ESY will also explore innovative ways to manage materials' circularity by developing and implementing an EU-material passport for ships. This passport will track the origin and use of materials in shipbuilding, maintenance, repair, and disassembly, providing valuable information for the circular management of materials.
The project aims to contribute to the EU's environmental and climate goals by effective monitoring of shipyard environmental performance, reduce emissions from processes and promote a circular economy in the shipbuilding sector. The outcomes of the project will provide valuable insights and best practices for sustainable shipbuilding, benefitting both the industry and the environment.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Endeavour of EcoShipYard is to:
- Design/Implement a digital twin shipyard model for energy, emissions control, and waste management
- Develop the Shipyard Environmental Performance Index (SEPI), relevant KPIs and contribution to the ship environmental performance indicator of non-operational activities
- Enhance environmental awareness, technical, organisational, and training guidelines for Shipyard
- Deliver a Blueprint of an EU-Material Passport for waterborne assets and assess Ship circularity readiness level
- Deliver flexible and extendable cloud-based platform, so to enable end users to perform continuous monitoring and assessments related to the sustainability of their operation
- Create a Living Lab Cluster (LLC) and deliver a TRL8 product to market via EEIG

So far, the project has developed the models for data analytics, LCA, simulations and optimization upon which the different modules of the project will be built and developed as tools for end users, all included in one platform.
At the first stage of the project, the project has identified the non-operational environmental hotspots by analysing shipbuilding materials, their transformation processes, and their recyclability at end-of-life, to maximize circularity in ship construction by promoting strategies that facilitate recycling, reuse, and repurposing of materials.
Also, the project has performed an analysis of typical shipyard processes across shipbuilding, retrofit, and dismantling stages, focusing on their associated Environmental Impact Factors (EIFs). By synthesizing systematic evaluations, industry and stakeholder feedback, and insights from related EU-funded projects, the report provides an adaptable methodology that reflects the diversity of shipyard operations and contexts.
Lastly, the project has developed the specifications and the system Architecture for the ESY platform, to facilitate the integration of sustainability assessment tools, along with a set of key applications and relevant data sources, to form an open system that will enable accurate assessment of the non-operational stages of a ship's life cycle. The platform shall enable users to utilize various software applications and services to establish a facilities model of a shipyard to carry out monitoring and optimization of the sustainability performance of a target production environment.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The project aims to establish a European Economic Interest Grouping, which is a form of a spinoff company (EEIG by the partners and associated partners that are interested) after the end of the project. The EEIG to be expanded with additional industrial stakeholders, experts providing state-of-the-art added value if possible. The EEIG services will be enhanced via a Living Lab (LL) and other means until 2030.
The Living Lab will serve as a collaborative environment for the co-creation, testing, and validation of innovative solutions that can improve the environmental performance and economic viability of shipyards. The Living Lab will facilitate the development of new technologies, processes, and business models that can promote the circularity of the shipbuilding industry, while also enhancing the sustainability of shipyards. It will also enable the wider dissemination of knowledge generated through the project.
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.
To this end, a detailed Impact analysis and a Business Model for further exploitation of the project will be developed.
Lastly, the ESY project is in close cooperation with the CirclesOfLife project for the joint implementation of agreed actions that may include research, training, communication activities, meetings, exchange visits and networking. The potential for cooperation after the end of the projects has already been discussed.

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