The British government awarded USD42 million (£33 million) towards a number of maritime green technology projects on Friday 26 January. The funding was awarded as part of the fourth round of the government’s Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC4) to a number of ports and ship projects, encompassing a range of clean maritime technologies including electric, hydrogen, ammonia, methanol and wind power.
The £33 million has been awarded to 33 projects across all twelve regions of the UK to deliver demonstrations, factory trials and feasibility studies. The funding awarded in CMDC4 builds on three successful previous rounds, which allocated over £95m to 105 projects and leveraged over £45m private investment.
The funding comes from the £206m UK SHORE programme, which was announced in March 2022. “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 Lord Davies, the UK maritime minister.
Among the projects to receive funding was a smart shore power system in Shoreham Port in West Sussex, which will to supply the marine aggregates dredger Cemex Go Innovation ship during its operations. The system will be specifically tailored to understand self-discharging commercial vessels which demand electric load fluctuations.
The CMDC is one of the many initiatives from UK SHORE to fund green technology. Last year, the government launched the Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure competition to support projects in the latter stages of development, and the Clean Maritime Research Hub – aimed at the early science and research behind green technology.
