March 3rd, 2026. The CirclesOfLife project marks an important moment in the journey towards a circular and sustainable shipbuilding industry with a pilot training session in Rotterdam. This gathering is designed to thoroughly test the Shipyard Environmental Performance Index (SEPI) software tool, enabling further development to meet the industry’s needs.
The consortium partners’ engineers, RDI-managers, quality assurance policymakers, researchers, and developers work together to provide hands-on feedback essential for optimising SEPI’s features and methodologies.
Pilot training session overview
This pilot training represents the first in-person opportunity for the CirclesOfLife consortium partners from across Europe to collaborate on testing and evaluating the SEPI tool. The SEPI’s primary objective is to gather real-world insights and identify areas for improvement, for instance, indicating hotspots regarding emissions at the yard ensuring SEPI evolves effectively through iterative development. Interactive demonstrations and discussion rounds enable participants to experience the software’s capabilities first-hand and suggest meaningful refinements.
Testing for further development
SEPI (Shipyard Environmental Performance Index) is a software tool designed to measure and enhance shipyard sustainability. During the pilot, participants are using operational data to rigorously test the software’s modules in real-world scenarios, such as waste segregation, energy management, and process mapping. This critical phase allows the developers to collect targeted feedback through the perspective of operational, environmental, sustainability, and HSEQ managers, ensuring future versions of SEPI will be robust, practical, and user-friendly. The pilot’s outcomes are instrumental in guiding the next steps of the tool’s development and fine-tuning.
The SEPI tool empowers shipyards to collect, record and report data on their environmental footprint and turn it into valuable insights that drive informed decision-making
Certification and reporting alignment
One of SEPI’s key features is its alignment with industry certifications and regulatory reporting requirements, notably Green Marine Europe and the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), as well as the related European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). The pilot training offers valuable opportunities to assess how the tool’s outputs will integrate with existing compliance frameworks and highlights adjustments needed to improve compatibility. The insights will help shape SEPI’s evolution as a trusted resource for shipyards seeking to demonstrate progress towards environmental and circularity goals.
Case studies and Best practice
Developing the SEPI software tool through real-life case studies is a core part on this day’s agenda. These studies help verify the tool’s usability, highlighting the practical challenges of implementation, and informing the development of best practice guidelines. Therefore, the afternoon session focuses on one of the practical case study, using the SEPI tool to evaluate surface treatment, waste segregation, and energy management practices in a repair yard setting. Participants consider innovative approaches such as robotic cleaning and enhanced paint spraying, demonstrating how the SEPI software can capture process data and identify improvement opportunities.
The training session’s focus on testing and feedback supports the broader adoption of SEPI across the EU shipbuilding sector.
Enhancing material circularity and lower emissions of ship building
Conclusion
The CirclesOfLife pilot training held at partners’ location of the trade association Maritime & Offshore NL in Rotterdam was a purposeful test phase for the SEPI software tool. Useful and practical feedback has been collected for its future development and refinement. By engaging professionals in real-world scenarios and user stories, the consortium is ensuring SEPI evolves into a powerful resource for measuring, reporting, and improving the environmental performance of shipyards. The event’s collaborative spirit and practical focus promise to shape a practice-oriented software tool that serves as input for reporting to legislation and regulations.
The consortium partners’ strong commitment and motivation create positive energy and encourage meaningful collaboration as we continue to progress together!
