Fuzzy real options and shared savings: Investment appraisal for green shipping technologies

Abstract

Shipping finds itself at the beginning of a greening process that leads to the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) objective of a 50% cut on the 2008 levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions until 2050. Thus, the implementation of different emission abatement measures such as greening technologies is indispensable. Most research is focused on those abatement measures including policies, while partially neglecting financing issues. This article addresses this research gap by assessing the impact of financing concepts on the overall net present value (NPV) of a greening technology. Therefore, the latest green shipping research is reviewed, and the Fuzzy Pay-Off Method (FPOM) and the Center of Gravity-FPOM (CoG-FPOM) are applied. Numerical examples illustrate the relevance of financing concepts such as shared savings for the selection of abatement options. Further, they show the suitability and practical relevance of fuzzy real option methods for shipping purposes.