Life Cycle Costing in the Maritime Sector: The Case of the Extraordinary Maintenance of a Roll-On/Roll-Off Ferry

Among the different activities involved in maritime transport, maintenance plays an important role in the life cycle of a ship in terms of security and quality, as well as economic relevance. Thus, the evaluation of maintenance costs is fundamental for companies that want to optimize economic sustainability needs in addition to quality and security requirements. Life cycle costing (LCC) represents a valid method to assess the costs involved along the whole life cycle of a product, process, or service. In this context, this study aims to assess the potential economic impacts connected to the extraordinary maintenance activities of a roll-on/roll-off ferry by also including the costs associated with the environmental externalities, thus applying the environmental LCC method. The functional unit (FU) is referred to as “the extraordinary maintenance of the investigated Ro-Ro ferry implemented for 47 days,” while system boundaries are defined following a “cradle-to-gate” approach. The main findings highlight that the LCC of the investigated ship maintenance accounts for €506,324.20 per FU. In addition, a negligible contribution of the environmental externalities in terms of economic impacts is noted. The study also underscores a trade-off between environmental and economic performance concerning the steel used in maintenance activities.