Time period: 2013-2013

Members involved: Carnival Corporation, The China Navigation Company, Lloyd’s Register, Maersk, DSME

Partners: HP, University of Strathclyde, Forum for the Future

Through three pilot projects and a stakeholder consultation process, the SSI set out to investigate and explore the feasibility and value of tracking and tracing the materials used in ship construction and ensuring accountability for the environmental impacts of materials used for shipbuilding.

Increased transparency and traceability further lead to more open supply chain relationships and opportunities for remanufacture, as well as more upcycling and reuse.

The key challenge for the work group was to look at how ships could be designed, built, operated and dismantled to deliver better and more efficient recycling of materials and components as well as establishing whether this would increase a ship’s value.

To achieve end-to-end responsibility and accountability for the social and environmental impacts of the materials used to build ships, from their sources and construction through to recycling.

The work group implemented three pilot projects which collected data about more than 96% (by weight) of all the materials used in the construction of two new vessels and a cruise ship cabin.

The purpose of these investigations was to establish the value of collecting data about materials used in ship construction. In addition, the SSI collaborated with Hewlett-Packard to trial the use of the CDX system to track and trace the data being collected. Separately, a stakeholder consultation was carried out to explore opportunities for a closed loop economy in the future.

As a result, it was established that:

  • A verified record of all materials used in a ship’s construction may increase its value
  • A materials database provides a single source of data for reporting on existing regulations, and future-proofs against additional compliance reporting requirements
  • Increased transparency and traceability also lead to more open supply chain relationships and opportunities for re-manufacture, as well as more upcycling and reuse
  • Creating an effective material tracking culture takes time and commitment, but also enhances social responsibility
  • If scaled-up, the impact could be:
    • Safer, cleaner, healthier and more profitable ship recycling
    • Significant CO2 savings as a result of more effective recycling in the wider ‘steel loop’
    • Potential CO2 and financial benefits from ‘design for remanufacture and reuse’ strategies