Evaluation of shipyard operation processes with cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment based on material consumption rates for an aluminum and steel yacht

ABSTRACT

The shipbuilding process contributes to the shipping industry’s environmental impact. Some shipbuilding materials are environmentally hazardous during production, construction, operation, and recycling. The shipbuilding industry must adopt a life-cycle perspective to implement a more integrated environmental focus. When determining the proportions of materials used, material expectation criteria, and construction costs within the required terms and conditions for a ship constructed from multiple materials, the environmental impact of the processing materials and related materials must also be considered. Using life cycle assessment (LCA), this study aims to determine the environmental effects of constructing a yacht with 9.21% aluminum and 91.79% steel using various material ratio scenarios. Consequently, the processing method of the relevant material is compared to the change in material ratio. As the percentage of aluminum materials used in scenarios 1 through 5 increases, the material-based impact increases, while the environmental impact of the process decreases.

KEYWORDS:

• Life cycle assessment
• shipyard
• yacht
• shipbuilding

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).