Developing and Applying a Ship Operation Energy Efficiency Evaluation Index Using SEEMP: a Case Study of South Korea

The CO₂ emission reduction policy of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) recommends that the operation of ships, managed by maritime transport companies, should be energy-efficient. An evaluation method that can determine how successfully a ship implements the energy efficiency plan is proposed in this study. To develop this method, the measures required for energy-efficient ship operations according to the Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) operational guidelines were selected. The weights of the selected measures, which indicate how they contribute to the energy-efficient operation of a ship, were derived using a survey based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method. Consequently, using these measures and their weights, a new evaluation method was proposed. This evaluation method was applied to shipping companies in South Korea, and their ship operation energy efficiency indices were derived and compared. This evaluation method will be useful to the government and shipping companies in assessing the energy efficiency of ship operations.