- Government launches new unit, UK SHORE, to tackle shipping
emissions and advance the UK towards a sustainable shipping
future
- £206m new funding to accelerate research into and
development of clean maritime technologies and create
skilled jobs across the country
- Clean maritime competition given multi-year extension for UK
organisations to accelerate zero emission shipping technologies
Thousands of ships, cruises and vessels will become greener and
cleaner with £206 million investment to support zero
emission sailing and skilled maritime jobs, as part of the
Government’s Shipbuilding Strategy.
Taking steps to cement the UK’s role as a world leader in shaping
the future of transport, the Government will create its first
office purely dedicated to making maritime greener - pioneering
new research and development of technology which could make
journeys by sea as green as they were hundreds of years ago.
Known as the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK
SHORE), the new unit will be housed in the Department for
Transport, building on the success of the UK’s Clean Maritime
Demonstration Competition (CMDC) launched last year.
Dedicated to creating a world free from shipping emissions, UK
SHORE will implement a comprehensive R&D programme, including
a multi-year clean maritime demonstration competition, and will
work in partnership with industry to tackle supply and demand
issues with ship building and help build greener vessels – from
cruises, to tankers to and leisure boats.
UK SHORE will also help develop the infrastructure to enable zero
emission technologies, and the physical infrastructure needed to
power these new-age vessels. The programme will include a
multitude of technologies including hydrogen, electric and
ammonia, and this funding will place the UK among the leading
nations in the development of new and innovative vessels and port
infrastructure, supporting its rich maritime industry and coastal
communities.
Funding under UK SHORE will relaunch manufacturing hotspots
across the UK, creating new skilled jobs and
opportunities while levelling up local economies.
Transport Secretary said:
“Climate change is a global challenge and it's essential that,
with our maritime sector's rich history of green travel, dating
back thousands of years, we tackle shipping emissions.
"I want UK-SHORE to take the industry back to the future. The age
of the sail was the first green maritime age; new technology will
bring us to a second green age.
“And as we turn the tide for green shipping, I can’t wait to see
thousands of new jobs created around the country too – from
masterful shipbuilding to the high-tech sailors of tomorrow.”
Following the highly successful CMDC round in 2021, the extension
of the competition will boost the UK’s position as a world leader
in zero emission vessel technologies. Details of the funding will
be revealed in the coming months and it will be open
to a range of UK innovators – from small businesses to
universities.
The Maritime Minister announced the new funding today in
Southampton docks and said:
Maritime Minister said:
“We are building a green maritime legacy for generations to come.
“This is the biggest single investment in green shipping in the
past hundred years, and is a further demonstration that the
Government is committed to working with the sector to develop the
green shipping technologies of tomorrow.”
Reiterating the Government’s commitment to wiping out carbon
emissions from transport, the funding boost is a major step
towards the UK Government’s aim for all vessels to be zero
emission by 2050, and signals a green industrial revolution that
will transform the shipbuilding enterprise into a technological
powerhouse, strengthening the UK industry’s
competitiveness.
The Government will deliver this ambitious programme in parallel
with regulatory changes, ensuring a strategic approach to the
transition to zero emission shipping as the Government continues
to implement its Transport Decarbonisation Plan.
Maritime UK CEO, Ben Murray, said:
“We’ve always been an island of maritime pioneers, and this
investment will ensure this will long continue, by helping the UK
develop its role as a global centre for maritime decarbonisation.
“The establishment of UK-SHORE, and extension of the Clean
Maritime Demonstration Competition, can enable us to create the
innovative green solutions at home, and in turn, export these
across the world.
“And this will create new jobs across our coastal communities,
helping them realise their potential of becoming green engines
for economic growth. Maritime UK and its members will be working
more closely than ever with government to ensure these ambitions
are met.”
UK SHORE will deliver a suite of interventions inspired by our
experience of decarbonising other transport modes. It will look
at programmes such as the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles,
transforming the UK into a global leader in the design,
manufacture and operation of clean maritime technology.
Notes to editors
- UK SHORE is a new unit in the Department for Transport which
will lead on the zero emission investment programme.
- One of UK SHORE’s initiatives, the Clean Maritime
Demonstration Competition (CMDC), seeks to accelerate innovative
zero emission shipping technologies
