As part of its continued support for sustainable marine technology initiatives, the UK government has allocated £77 million (c. €86.6 million) in its latest round of investment to projects related to marine leisure or commercial shipping.
To win funding, projects must know how they will use the money to launch a zero-emission vessel by 2025 at the latest. Examples of such technology include battery electric vessels, shoreside electrical power, ships running on low carbon fuel, and wind-assisted ferry.
Mark Harper, UK transport secretary, commented, “This multi-million-pound investment will help the latest technological ideas become reality and ensure UK waters become host to green cargo ships , ferries and cruises in the next few years.”
The Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure (ZEVI) competition, launched on 6th February, will be run by Innovate UK, the national innovation agency.
The government is also calling on universities across the UK to work together to build a new Clean Maritime Research Hub, with £7.4 million (c. €8.3 million) of funding from the government and additional funding from academia and industry .
The ZEVI fund and Clean Maritime Research Hub are part of the UK SHORE programme, which was launched in March 2022 with £206 million (c. €231 million) of funding. UK SHORE aims to tackle shipping emissions and progress the UK towards a sustainable shipping future. According to Transport & Environment (T&E) analysis, commercial shipping activity in the UK will be responsible for 22 million tonnes of CO2 in 2021, equivalent to a third of all UK cars.
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Source: IBI news
