The government has launched a bidding process for a £1.5 million pot to fulfil net zero commitments, create jobs and grow the economy – without imposing additional costs on taxpayers.
The latest round of Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition will look to map out necessary infrastructure, costs and regulatory measures essential for the decarbonisation of shipping routes.
If successful, there will be zero emission shipping routes between the UK, Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, and Ireland – creating cleaner journeys for passengers and freight.
The fifth round of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC5) will support feasibility studies focused on accelerating the development of ‘green corridors’. These studies will map out infrastructure required along the routes to enable vessels to access green fuels and power charging systems, as well as look at further regulations required to push the industry towards decarbonisation. Importantly, it aims to achieve our net zero commitments without imposing additional costs to taxpayers by finding ways to adapt the costs of green fuels, to bring down the costs in future.
Maritime minister Lord Davies said, ‘By investing in zero emission routes to and from the UK, we are not only creating a greener sector, but are also laying the groundwork for long-term sustainability, creating jobs and bolstering economic growth.
‘This is a major milestone in UK’s pledge to keep our waters clean – with this funding aiming to support the creation of international zero emission routes by the mid 2020s.’
Andreas Bjelland Eriksen, minister of climate and environment, Norway, said:
‘The UK and Norway have longstanding relations on shipping, and with the initiative taken by the UK on the Clydebank Declaration in 2021, we have cooperated closely on the development of green shipping corridors. I am very pleased that we will now see the beginning of green shipping corridors between our two countries and look forward to contributing with support through our Green Shipping Programme.’
Jesse Fahnestock, director of decarbonisation at Global Maritime Forum, said:
‘The UK has been a leading voice in promoting green shipping corridors. This announcement is a positive example of governments taking coordinated action to support the implementation of green corridors, which will be key to unlocking their potential. We look forward to seeing how the initiative contributes to shipping’s move to zero emission fuels this decade and inspires further action by national governments on international shipping decarbonisation.’
Rhett Hatcher, CEO of the UK Chamber of Shipping, said: ‘Green corridors provide a meaningful contribution to decarbonising the shipping industry and this funding will help advance them from concept to reality. The UK Chamber of Shipping is committed to working with partners to activate green corridors as soon and as widely as possible.
‘To be most impactful we need to look at the broadest range of fuels and technologies, including those that are available today and those that may become available in the future. Additionally, we must ensure that the necessary infrastructure is in place along the corridor, port to port.’