UK Government announces its Clean Maritime Strategy
By Prof. Lars Johanning, Professor of Ocean Technology, University of Exeter
On 11th July 2019, the UK Government formally
announced its goal to accelerate the development of zero-emissions technology
the shipping industry. This is a move which will dominate the agenda for our
marine technology specialists for the next decade.
The Clean Maritime Plan builds on the Government’s existing
Clean Air Strategy which aims to reduce pollution across all sectors, with the
intention of improving public health and protecting the environment. It also
builds on the Maritime 2050 Strategy which was launched earlier in 2019.
By 2025 the Government expects that:
· All
vessels operating in UK waters are maximising the use of energy efficiency
options. All new vessels being ordered for use in UK waters are being designed
with zero emission propulsion capability. Zero emission commercial vessels are
in operation in UK waters.
· The
UK is building clean maritime clusters focused on innovation and infrastructure
associated with zero emission propulsion technologies, including bunkering of
low or zero emission fuel.
The international shipping industry is currently responsible
for about 2.5% of global CO2 emissions. Shipping also carries 95% of UK trade.
Emissions reduction has been a focus of maritime legislation
over recent years. Indeed, the team at Marine-i ran a Discovery Room event on
this very topic in February 2019. At the event, we heard from some of the
leading innovators in this field, covering technologies as diverse as new types
of emissions control, exhaust after-treatments, greener fuels, hybrid propulsions,
electric boats, hydrogen fuel cells, innovations in emissions monitoring, and
the new types of training that will be required to help ensure full compliance.
The International Maritime Organisation’s intention was for
zero-emission vessels to be in place by 2030. The fact that the UK Government
wants to deliver this target a full five years earlier shows the scale of
ambition that they have for this area. It is also a move that has been broadly
welcomed by the UK shipping industry and the marine supply chain.
The Government has recognised that, in this field, it is
important that the UK establishes itself as a global leader – not a follower.
It will by no means be any easy target to meet, but achieving it will create
some huge opportunities for our marinetech industries and identify important
commercial advantages for our innovative companies – underpinning growth well
into the future. It will instil a genuine sense of urgency surrounding
innovation in emissions reduction.
In their announcements surrounding the launch, the Government
has stressed the need for all participants in the maritime value chain to
collaborate and share their knowledge in order to accelerate the pace of
innovation. This is something that our team has seen first-hand over the life of
the Marine-i project, and is an area in which our marine businesses and marine
researchers truly excel.
The Government forecasts that by 2050, the global market for
alternative fuel production technologies could reach £11 billion per year. By
putting this plan in motion now, it believes that the UK can capture a
significant share of that market. They will be consulting on ways in which the
uptake of low-carbon fuels in maritime can be encouraged. They will also carry
out a call for evidence in 2020, to understand the role that non-tax incentives
could play in supporting the transition to zero-emission shipping.
From our experience with the Marine-i project, we know that
many of the businesses leading the way on marine innovation need financial
assistance stage at an early stage of development in order to prove the
effectiveness of new concepts. Often, this cannot be obtained from conventional
investors as they do not fully understand the specialised technology or its
commercial potential. Innovators can therefore benefit hugely from grant
funding to help accelerate the innovation and get it to market more quickly and
with a greater chance of success. So it is good to see that the Government’s
plan includes a £1 million innovation fund to support clean maritime innovation
projects in their early stages.
UK Maritime Minister, Nusrat Ghani, says:
“If we are going to capture the full benefits of this
momentous change to zero-emissions, we need to act quickly. Maritime is a
global sector, and the international community is already waking up to the real
opportunity that zero emission shipping presents. If the UK is going to be a
leader in this green revolution, then the time to act is now.”
You can see the full details on the Clean Maritime Plan at the Government website:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/clean-maritime-plan-maritime-2050-environment-route-map