Zero emission vessel competition launched in the UK
The UK government has set aside £77m ($93m) to invest in green maritime technology. A government release issued today stated: “The funding will take the tech from the factory to the sea – identifying which projects will have a long-term impact in reducing emissions.”
Successful projects must show they could use this money to work with major UK ports and operators 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 fuels like hydrogen or ammonia, and wind-assisted ferries.
Transport secretary Mark Harper said: “This multi-million-pound investment will help the latest tech ideas become reality and ensure UK waters will play host to green cargo ships, ferries and cruises in the next few years.”
The Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure (ZEVI) competition, launched today, will be overseen by Innovate UK, the national innovation agency.
The government is also calling on universities across the UK to join forces to establish a new Clean Maritime Research Hub, with £7.4m funding from government and additional funding from academia and industry.
The ZEVI fund and Clean Maritime Research Hub are part of the UK SHORE programme, launched in March 2022 with £206m in funding. UK SHORE aims to tackle shipping emissions and advance the UK towards a sustainable shipping future.
Cash-strapped Britain could benefit from an additional £1.8bn a year if it were to tax shipping emissions, a new Transport & Environment (T&E) analysis shows.
UK shipping activity was responsible for 22m tonnes of CO2 in 2021 – equivalent to a third of all the UK’s cars, according to T&E. If the UK government were to include all the sector’s emissions in its cap and trade scheme – the UK ETS – these emissions could generate nearly £2bn annually. However, T&E’s analysis shows that with the government’s current plans, less than 10% of UK shipping emissions would be covered, generating just £170m a year.