SAFE, HEALTHY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SHIP RECYCLING

Ship recycling refers to the disassembly of a ship in recycling facilities, as well as the storage and processing of these materials to reuse them. The ship recycling industry enables the reuse of raw materials for industrial purposes, and thus is fully in line with the European Circular Economy Action Plan and Green Deal objectives. Yet, in addition to work-related diseases due to toxic substances, unacceptably high levels of fatalities and injuries at current shipbreaking yards makes ship recycling one of the most dangerous occupations in the world (ILO 2015). Besides, due to the lack of proper waste management, toxic waste from shipbreaking contaminates the coastal areas and exposes the workers to hazardous substances. Although international regulations exist to reduce and prevent the adverse effects of ships on human health and the environment (IMO 2009; UNEP 2011; Regulation EU No 1257/2013), improving the safety and health of workers and stopping the detrimental impact on the environment still remain major challenges of the sector. The main objective of SHEREC is to enable the involvement and adoption of innovative robotics, data and AI systems into the ship recycling industry to significantly improve the occupational health and safety conditions in this industry and to prevent contamination of hazardous materials both at occupational and environmental levels. Specifically, SHEREC will (1) semi-automate the preparation process in ship recycling using an AI-powered drone inspecting the interior of the ship to locate hazardous materials on the ship, (2) create an automated ship recycling plan using a digital twin of the ship and AI-based planning methods, and (3) automate the cutting and paint removal processes in ship recycling process using two innovative mobile robotic systems that can work autonomously or via tele-operation.