UK marks World Maritime Day with £60m in green maritime funding

Photo: Screenshot from YouTube IMO-Sec-Gen-WMD2022-video-address.jpg
With World Maritime Day today, 29 September, themed around new technologies for green shipping the UK has chosen to mark the day by announcing the third round of funding for its Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC).

The third round of the CMDC runs from April 2023 to March 2025 and the UK government has pledged £60m in funding.

UK Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan is announcing the funding today during a keynote address to the Atlantic Future Forum in New York, on the HMS Queen Elizabeth.

The Transport Secretary said: “This World Maritime Day we’re announcing funding to harness the best innovations the UK has to offer – proving that tackling climate change can go hand-in-hand with business innovation, job creation and supercharging economic growth.”

In 2020 UK domestic maritime vessels contributed around 5% of the country’s domestics greenhouse gas emissions – more than trains and buses combined. The CMDC is part of helping to decarbonise the sector and from today UK companies will be able to bid for funding for development of early-stage clean maritime technologies.

The announcement aligns with International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) World Maritime Day 2022 and celebrations for the day will focus on the theme of 'New technologies for greener shipping' and the research and development, demonstration and deployment of new technologies.

In his message on the World Maritime theme, IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim said, "Our theme 'New technologies for greener shipping' opens up a larger conversation about shipping's direction and how technology can be harnessed for a more sustainable future. It also provides an incentive to further examine how digitalisation and automation can support shipping.”

You can watch the full message in the video below

The Sec-Gen also stressed the need to ensure the people working in shipping are trained for operating these new technologies. “But technological solutions for cleaner, safer and more sustainable shipping must also benefit people. In this regard, the impact on seafarers and other marine personnel, including the need for training must be considered." 

The IMO headquarters will be lit up green and blue signifying the IMO’s maritime and environmental heritage.

The coming year also marks the introduction of new environmental measures for shipping by the IMO in the form of EEXI and CII.

“The green transition is now at the top of every ship manager, owner, and operator’s agenda. As the IMO’s EEXI and CII regulation fast approaches, ensuring compliance will be a key driver for maritime organisations to harness technology for greener shipping,” commented Sarah Barrett, Product Insights at Wärtsilä Voyage.

TAGS: Regulation