The announcement was made by Maritime Minister Nusrat Ghani on 10 September and comes in continuation of an earlier £1 million UK investment to support early stage clean maritime projects. This brings a total of £2.3 million grant by UK to support the development of trailblazing maritime technology.

I am delighted to announce this fantastic funding for pioneering research, bringing the UK ever closer to zero emission shipping. The UK continues to lead the way on the global stage, playing a key role in reaching an international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from shipping by at least 50% in 2050. This latest investment will help ensure our great maritime nation remains sustainable years into the future,

...said Maritime Minister Nusrat Ghani.

In July, a consortium of British companies, academia and government, formally established MarRI-UK, a national centre for maritime innovation and technology, expected to provide a collaborative field for the maritime sector to address innovation and technology challenges.

The government is also announcing a push to bring financiers and budding entrepreneurs together to help innovation flourish in the sector.

The UK has already taken a proactive role in driving this move in UK waters and is seen globally as a role model in zero-emission shipping.

Existing projects in this area include:

  • hybrid ferries being used between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight and in Scotland
  • shore-side electricity at Portsmouth, Fraserburgh and Brodick ports driving down emissions from running engines
  • a project in Orkney exploring how to directly inject hydrogen into the fuel supply of ferries, reducing Co2 emissions

Smart shipping and clean maritime, are key strands of the government’s Maritime 2050 strategy, a long term look at the opportunities for the sector for the next 30 years.

These new initiatives are helping the government deliver on its bold Clean Maritime Plan, published in July to set out how it intends to clean up the sector and move to zero-emission shipping.

The Clean Maritime Plan is part of the Government’s Clean Air Strategy, which aims to cut down air pollution across all sectors to protect public health and the environment.

It also seeks to help deliver the United Kingdom’s commitment to be net zero on greenhouse gases by 2050.

We back decarbonisation by 2050 and by working collaboratively with government, we will achieve this. Already across Britain we’re seeing promising progress: from hybrid ferries to hydrogen fuel, the sector is tackling the challenge head on,

...added Sarah Kenny, Vice Chair of Maritime UK.