The UK published a maritime recovery route map, setting out how government and the maritime sector will work together to support the sector’s recovery from the impact of COVID-19 and boost the implementation of Maritime 2050.
Green recovery
UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) will accelerate maritime decarbonisation by:
- Managing the implementation of a multi-year Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition, working with industry to unlock the necessary private investment in clean maritime technologies.
- Tackling the technical barriers faced by shipbuilders, their supply chain, and ship operators in adopting clean propulsion technologies and advanced materials, in partnership with the Clean Maritime Council.
- Ensuring that a strategic approach is adopted to accelerate the transition to zero emission shipping in collaboration with the wider DfT, the National Shipbuilding Office, BEIS, DIT, and DfE to deliver a whole-of-government intervention for the sector.
Seafarer welfare
A UK-led initiative will take place in summer 2022, to provide more concrete steps to strengthen seafarer welfare. UK is also taking direct action to develop an international Covid vaccination hub in Gibraltar.
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These efforts will be supported by crucial research examining fatigue, working time, safety culture improvements and ways to reduce the sadly too high incidence of suicide amongst seafarers.
In addition, UK Maritime Minister Robert Courts also presented a £2.4m project to support the wellbeing of seafarers.
This funding will help us tackle this problem by supporting the excellent work being done by charities and social organisations, and foster new programmes
Commenting on this decision, UK Chamber of Shipping Policy Director Peter Aylott said that “this announcement rightly recognises the importance of attracting new highly skilled talent to the sector from the widest possible backgrounds. This will ensure that new ideas and innovative thinking are brought forward and the Merchant Navy Training Board has a crucial role to play in the delivery of this vision that we all share.”
Environment for innovation
UK will work with industry to deliver flagship projects and develop technological proofs of concept that will galvanise investment. For this reason, it is supporting the MarRI-UK Smart Maritime Land Operations Call and awarded £2.5m of funding to two projects:
- £1.3m to a consortium of eight organisations to deliver a national hydrogen highway network, integrating land, sea, and ports (to be delivered by December 2024);
- £1.2m to develop land, vessel, and interface systems, which includes port energy storage solutions, vessel energy monitoring and automated berthing and connection systems, by July 2023.
EXPLORE MORE AT UK’S MARITIME RECOVERY PLAN
