Leading maritime organisations are urging the UK government to make publication of an overdue decarbonisation plan a top priority.
Signatories to a letter to new maritime minister Mike Kane include the UK Chamber of Shipping, Cruise Lines International, British Ports Association and the UK Major Ports Group.
“We [maritime] don’t want to be left behind or forgotten,” Chamber of Shipping director of communications Tom Bartosak-Harlow told TradeWinds.
The industry’s concern stems from announcements and momentum over decarbonising aviation, of which Kane is also a minister.
This includes planned legislation on sustainable aviation fuel and the £100m ($127m) committed to greener air travel.
The Clean Maritime Plan was originally published in 2019 by the previous government, with promises of an update last year.
“As much as this [original plan] was a good step forward, things have moved on since then, there are new emissions targets to be met and we don’t want to fall behind. So we are overdue a [plan] refresh,” Bartosak-Harlow said.
The review of the plan has been continually delayed and was pushed back before the general election in July and was “falling by the wayside when it [the election] was ultimately called”, according to the chamber.
The letter’s signatories are keen that the new government treat the publication of an updated plan as an early priority. Without it, “the confidence of businesses to invest will be dented”, the chamber said.
The chamber’s chief executive, Rhett Hatcher, said: “It is vital to provide the industry and investors with confidence to aid the sector in its drive to reach net zero.
“To achieve this, we need a multi-year plan, which creates a framework for public and private sector collaboration and a pathway for emissions reduction.”
The chamber is due to meet Kane after the parliamentary summer recess. TradeWinds has approached the minister for comment.
“There has been no movement since we sent the letter a week ago,” Bartosak-Harlow said.
“In reality, we wouldn’t have expected there to be an immediate response.
“The government has only been in power a month. The letter is just a reminder for them not to forget about maritime and to address the issue sooner rather than later.”
