The British Ports Association (BPA) has welcomed today’s announcement of £33m of new funding from the Department for Transport’s (DfT) clean maritime demonstration competition (CMDC), and called for the forthcoming Budget to continue a scaled-up version of the scheme.
New funding will support schemes such as smart shore power system in Shoreham Port 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. Another funded project will deliver a state-of-the-art demonstrator system for green hydrogen production and utilisation, supplying shore power at the Port of Leith.
Earlier this week the BPA wrote to the Chancellor ahead of the Spring Budget calling for further funding to support maritime decarbonisation. A future fund could be improved with longer lead-in, application and overall project timescales. It should also support projects that are closer to commercialisation as the Zero Emission Vessel and Infrastructure (ZEVI) successfully did. The funding will see 33 new projects receive a share of £33m for real world demonstrations, pre-deployment trials and feasibility studies into clean maritime technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This is the fourth round of CMDC funding which, in addition to the ZEVI scheme, is providing £206m in funding through the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE).
I’m delighted to see so many exciting schemes receive funding today to help advance our shared goals on decarbonisation.
Launching the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition was a huge step forward and industry has responded with dozens of innovative and exciting projects to reduce emissions from ports and shipping. Government now needs to keep up the momentum and ensure that a new and expanded scheme is provided for in the Spring Budget.
It is clear from the number of applications that have been brought forward that there is appetite to do more and we hope the Chancellor can match that ambition.