The UK government has awarded £33m ($42m) to maritime decarbonisation projects.
This is the fourth round of funding through the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) from UK Shore — the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions — which was given a £206m budget in 2022.
Thirty-three projects, each with a consortium of UK-based companies, are being offered grants to help fund factory trials, demonstrations and feasibility studies.
The £33m funding comes with more than £16.3m of private investment.
As well as fostering sustainable high-skilled jobs and boosting coastal economies, the government said the initiatives awarded funds under the CMDC position the UK as a leader in emerging clean maritime technologies.
Funding in this latest round went to projects including wind assist technology, electricity generation for shipping and new fuels.
“Unlocking a sustainable maritime sector and the economic growth it provides relies on cutting-edge technology to propel it to the next level. The voyage to sustainability demands bold investments to not just deliver greener shipping but highly skilled jobs across the UK,” said maritime minister Lord Davies.
The previous three CMDC rounds have allocated more than £95m to 105 projects and led to £45m in private investment.
UK Shore has two other initiatives underway as it works to strengthen domestic competency in maritime cleantech: the Zero Emission Vessels & Infrastructure competition to help projects in the later stages of development; and, to support early research, the Clean Maritime Research Hub.
There have been calls for the funding of cleantech to be extended. The British Ports Association has written to the chancellor ahead of the spring budget, calling for further funding to support maritime decarbonisation.
It wants more funding to support projects in the later stages of commercialisation. The association said a future fund could be improved with longer lead-in, application and overall project timescales.
