About Sherec Project

Safe, Healthy and Environmental Ship Recycling

Sherec Project

SHEREC is a project funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation programme. Its aim is to improve occupational health and safety in the ship recycling industry by integrating cutting-edge robotics, data, and AI systems.This is also a safeguard against contamination of the environment with hazardous substances.

Consortium

The SHEREC project is a collaboration of 16 partners from 10 European countries. The partners include universities, companies, research institutes, and a non-governmental organization. The SHEREC consortium, coordinated by HKTM, can be divided into three groups based on their contributions: End-User Industry, Technology Providers and Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) Expertise.

Funded by the European Union

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Istanbul

Kick-off Meeting / February 14-15 2024

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Partners

The SHEREC project is a collaboration of 16 partners from 10 European countries.

Objectives

Safe, Healthy and Environmental Ship Recycling

Objective 1

To semi-automate the preparation process in ship recycling using an AI-powered drone. A custom-designed aerial robot will be prototyped to navigate inside the ship without compromising safety, and to operate in GPS-denied situations by overcoming the degradation of the robot’s vision in a cluttered environment. The drone will inspect the interior of the ship to verify, locate and label hazardous materials based on the ship’s inventory of hazardous material.

Objective 2

To create an automated ship recycling plan using a digital twin of the ship and AI-based planning methods. A digital twin of the ship will be created using the ship’s design documents and the information gathered by the drone. AI-based automated-planning algorithms will be developed to be run on the digital twin to generate a cutting plan of the ship using the virtual model.

Objective 3

To semi-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: (1) a mobile robot with magnetic tracks that can navigate on the ship hull without external support, and (2) a mobile manipulator that can navigate inside the ship.

Vision & Impact

SHEREC PROJECT

Significant improvement of working conditions:

A showcase of the enhanced human working conditions in the ship recycling sector, made possible by the SHEREC's pioneering technology.

Significant enhancement of the occupational and natural environments. The release of toxic gases and liquids is prevented in order to safeguard the ship recycling environment, residents, and laborers in the vicinity of the ship recycling yard.

Product development agreements. The consortium partners will enter into commercial agreements to promote the solutions.

The uptake of SHEREC's AI, data, and robotics technologies by end users:

The end users will integrate and implement the solutions, thereby improving the accuracy and reliability of ship recycling processes.

Technology

SHEREC PROJECT

Robotics, data and AI systems for ship recycling Ship recycling, involving the dismantling of ships, poses significant risks, with high levels of fatalities, injuries and work-related diseases despite international regulations.

The sector also faces challenges related to inadequate waste management, leading to the contamination of coastal areas with toxic waste. In response to these issues, the EU-funded SHEREC project will introduce innovative robotics, data and AI systems to the ship recycling industry to set new standards for worker safety and environmental responsibility.

The project envisions the use of an AI-powered drone to locate hazardous materials, while a digital twin of the ship and AI-based planning methods will automate the ship’s recycling plan. In addition, two mobile robotic systems will be introduced to robotise cutting and paint removal processes.

The following objectives will be pursued in the SHEREC project to increase labor safety and make positive environmental impact