A Locational Decision Making Framework for Shipbreaking under Multiple Criteria

The decision making process for shipbreaking is complicated and is dependent on multiple factors. However, due to the vastly unorganized nature of shipbreaking industry in major shipbreaking locations, there is little work done to the best of the authors' knowledge, wherein these factors are mapped, weighed and integrated in the form of a comprehensive decision making framework. In recent years, although there have been significant efforts by researchers to capture the process of shipbreaking and recycling in literature, a comprehensive decision support system that encapsulates the multiple criteria for shipbreaking in a quantifiable form, is yet to be developed. This paper attempts to bridge this gap, by formulating a decision making framework, particularly for selecting the shipbreaking facility and the extent of recycling subsequent to ship disassembly, using AHP methodology. The framework considers the relevant factors, and is useful not only for shipping companies and cash brokers for decision making, but also provides insights vis-à-vis the migrating pattern of shipbreaking industry, particularly from Indian subcontinent to China, as observed in the contemporary business environment.