Design for sustainable ship dismantling based on triple bottom line perspective

Abstract

While ship dismantling is an important economic sector especially for developing countries it has severe impacts on human health and the environment. Therefore it is essential to adopt sustainable approaches to ship dismantling. Considering the entire life cycle of ships the sustainability of dismantling activities can be affected by the initial ship design phase. This study therefore investigates the relationship between ship design criteria and triple bottom line sustainability dimensions: human environment and business. A multi-criteria decision-making method fuzzy TISM is used to determine the distinct causal relationships between design criteria and effects on humans the environment and business. This contributes to the literature regarding designing for sustainable ship dismantling. The study recommendations to management covering the training of designers work design material selection life cycle assessment standardisation of parts and modular design top management support and governmental support for design for sustainable ship dismantling practices.