Coastal communities and businesses across the country will
benefit from £30m of new decarbonisation funding, helping to
drive economic growth and create jobs – delivering on the
Government's Plan for Change.
The funding comes from the latest round of the Clean Maritime
Demonstration Competition (CMDC6), launched today. CMDC is
designed to support clean maritime technologies including
electric, hydrogen, ammonia, methanol, wind power and
more.
Previous rounds of the competition have seen funding delivered to
over 300 organisations, bringing in more than £100m of private
investment across the UK.
Successful projects have included the installation of Britain's
first electric chargepoint network across ports in the South
West; the largest ever retrofit of a hydrogen research vessel in
Wales, and the installation of a state-of-the-art carbon capture
system on a vessel.
Maritime Minister, said:
“This new £30m investment is part of our Plan for Change -
growing the economy and making Britain a Clean Energy
Superpower.
“I'm proud to see this funding boost growth and create jobs
throughout the UK, as well as ushering in an era
of zero-emission shipping.”
Yesterday the Maritime Minister visited Hull to see how the city
has benefited from £3.7m of CMDC funding through one of the
programmes flagship projects, GT Wings' AirWing. The innovative
wind propulsion system has been built and delivered locally at
Alexandra Dock and will reduce emissions on vessels by up to 30%.
The first AirWing is being assembled at the MMS Docks in Hull and
will be installed on a Carisbrooke Shipping vessel, with sea
trials scheduled for March 2025.
This groundbreaking project is creating opportunities for skilled
workers and bringing economic activity to the region, positioning
Hull as a hub for maritime innovation.
Innovate UK will open the sixth round of the CMDC on 22 January.
The application window will close on 16 April.
Mike Biddle, Executive Director, Net Zero at Innovate UK,
said:
“Innovate UK is delighted to partner once again with the
Department for Transport to deliver the latest instalment of the
Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition.
“CMDC Round 6 is a great opportunity for UK innovators to take
part in a world-renowned maritime transport R&D grant funding
programme. The competition focusses on the ever-more prevalent
issue of decarbonisation within the industry and we're looking
forward to seeing participation from across the maritime
transport sector and beyond, focussing on physical, digital,
system and skills-based innovation.”
George Thompson, CEO of GT Wings, said:
"We're extremely excited about the imminent launch of AirWing™,
our next-generation, compact wind propulsion technology designed
to help even the most challenging ocean-going vessels decarbonise
by harnessing wind power.
“This progressive step has been made possible thanks to the
support of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition, which
recognised the transformative potential of this innovation and GT
Wings' ability to scale it for market impact.
“With the UK leading the way in modern wind propulsion, it's an
exciting time to be driving fresh innovation in this space."
Captain Simon Merritt, Senior Fleet Manager at
Carisbrooke Shipping Ltd, said:
“We look forward to the first AirWing being installed on our
cargo ship this month, significantly reducing fuel consumption
and emissions.
“This project has been accelerated with funding from Department
for Transport and Innovate UK under CMDC Round 4. It demonstrates
the power of collaboration between leading British companies,
turning innovative ideas into real solutions to decarbonise the
maritime industry while creating job opportunities in the UK.”
The sixth round of funding brings the total invested through the
CMDC to £159 million, accelerating the vast economic benefits
that green maritime funding has on local jobs, industries and
economies.
CMDC funding comes from the £236m UK Shipping Office for Reducing
Emissions (UKSHORE) programme which is focused on decarbonising
the UK maritime sector through research and development. Innovate
UK is the delivery partner for CMDC and will manage the
distribution of funds to successful applicants.
