Session: 14-01-04: Smart and Sustainable Maritime Systems

Submission Number: 155155

Proposal for a Conceptual Model for a Public Policy on Ship Dismantling Based on Multicriteria Analysis: Brazilian Case 

Maritime transport plays a vital role in international trade, with vessels responsible for moving 80% of all global cargo, according to the United Nations report. However, like all equipment, vessels also have a useful life cycle, and at the end of this, they must be appropriately disposed of. There are several opportunities for Brazil to enter this market, with emphasis on:

(i) Location of assets to be recycled – One of the ways to compete with the low costs offered by South Asian shipyards would be to avoid the logistical costs of transporting units operating in the country to such distant locations. Brazil has its fleet of cabotage ships with an average age of 15.5 years, according to data from the Brazilian Maritime Transport Agency (ANTAQ), so that a large portion of vessels could be recycled between the years 2032 and 2039. Furthermore, we have a large fleet of offshore units already out of operation and an estimated 102 platforms to be decommissioned over the next 10 years, creating an opportunity for them to be recycled in Brazil.

(ii) Brazil has the necessary infrastructure – modern and large shipyards, which suffer from a low occupancy rate, due to the reduction in demand for new construction.

(iii) Practice aligned with ESG – today there is much talk about adopting practices that favor the environment, especially through the circular economy.

(iv) Carbon steel recycling is an efficient and sustainable process that has several benefits, such as: Contributing to the preservation of natural resources, Reducing environmental impacts, Avoiding iron ore shortages, Saving water and energy, Reducing costs of production.

Among the main obstacles is the lack of legislation and incentives for the sector. In this scenario, the article approaches, in a methodological way, listening to different actors in the sector and, through multi-criteria techniques and cost-benefit analysis, proposing the scientific bases for the construction of a public policy for the sector.

Based on the archetype developed to list priority projects for the sector and based on the analysis of scenarios and priorities identified in the multi-criteria analysis, the paper will present an ex-post analysis estimate with a proposal for financial monitoring indicators and environmental gains.

Concluding by proposing, for the Brazilian case, the sustainable bases of an industrial policy aimed at ship dismantling.

Presenting Author: Jean-David Job Emmanuel Marie Caprace Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro

Presenting Author Biography: He holds a master's degree in industrial engineering from the Institut Supérieur Industriel de Bruxelles (2000) and a doctorate in Applied Sciences from the University of Liege (2010). He is currently coordinator of the Graduate Program in Ocean Engineering (PEnO) and professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), working in the Waterway Transport Area of the Alberto Luiz Coimbra Institute of Graduate Studies and Engineering Research (COPPE). He has experience in the field of design and optimization of the production of ships and offshore structures. He has published nearly 100 research papers and articles in prestigious journals and conferences.