CirclesOfLife enters an exciting stage of planning and testing the performance in daily practise of the shipping industry. As part of the EU Horizon Research and Innovation project CirclesOfLife now completes two-thirds of the journey, marking significant progress.

The General Assembly held on December 9 and 10, 2025 in Bremen, was hosted by project partner Balance. The agenda featured promising developments regarding the innovative methods to reduce emissions and enhance circularity in shipbuilding. This gathering offered a platform for sharing results, aligning on future steps, and welcoming new contributors to the initiative.

Welcoming new partners

Our Assembly is enriched by the participation of new partners Meyer Werft and Nordic Circles. Alongside consortium partners Damen and Flensburger Shiffbau Gesellschaft, they bring valuable opportunities for testing tools and processes in the daily operations of the maritime partners. Their involvement ensures that theoretical concepts actively integrate into real-world practice.

Collaborative progress across Work Packages

The position in each Work Package is being shared and collaborated upon. Discussing and coordinating work flows in

• Project management
• Timelines for each Work Package in the upcoming final year of the project, needs and interdepencies
• Online and in-person trainings on the
  SCMP (Ship Circular Materials Passport),
  SLP (Ship Lifecycle Passport) and
  SEPI (Shipyard Environmental Performance Index)
• How, when and where to raise awareness in stakeholder communities in the industry and in politics a.o.

Generic and Specific modelling

A major highlight is the first demonstration of the Shipyard Environmental Performance Index software tool. SEPI enables shipyards to map their newbuild, repair, and end-of-life processes, offering valuable insights for reducing emissions.

The software tool features both a Generic Shipyard Process Model and a Specific Shipyard Model, integrating inventory data, activities, technologies, and unique features for different yard types. With the development of functional units, it is now possible to compare values across various shipyards.

Key advantage: use existing shipyard systems as input for the specific shipyard model

The initial demonstration of the software tool was presented at this General Assembly, allowing us on-the-spot testing and generating enthusiasm about the tool’s future potential.  

The next step involves collecting real-world data, further testing, and developing the demo software. One key advantage is the possibility to use existing systems at one’s shipyard to provide input for the specific shipyard model.

Case studies

The case studies play an important role in the CirclesOfLife project, generating valuable data throughout the development process. Presentations of our partners, in short:

1. Damen is investigating surface treatment: manual and robot painting processes, waste segregation and innovative energy management.
2. Flensburger Shipyard Gesellschaft explains that their new build case study focuses on two key shipyard processes; 1) steel hull and 2) blasting and coating. For both processes, energy consumption will be reduced. In the first process, this will be achieved by using energy-efficient welding inverters. In the second, improvements will come from blasting grit recovery using a bucket elevator.
3. Meyer Werft Papenburg is contributing studies focused on reducing weight, material use, and waste. They are exploring improvements in the preproduction of steel wall panels, known as MeyFrames. These are produced in workshops instead of on-site. This approach aims to lower energy consumption, decrease the carbon footprint, and reduce costs.
4. Nordic Circles brings extensive expertise in ship steel decommissioning, reuse, and upcycling by applying the materials into the building sector.

Explanatory video

To provide clear insights in the purpose of the project, we produced a CirclesOfLife explanatory video. It’s about innovation for a more sustainable maritime manufacturing industry. You can watch how we are shaping smart solutions designed for the shipbuilding sector to meet environmental challenges and upcoming regulations and legislation.

Prepare for the future

The progress achieved at the Bremen General Assembly demonstrates CirclesOfLife’s momentum and dedication to the development of these tools, which will set new standards for shipyards everywhere, create business opportunities in a competitive world and so it prepares yards for the future.