28.09.26 LONDON, Connected Places Catapult, the UK’s innovation accelerator for transport, construction and infrastructure, has today announced the companies selected for the Clean Transport Accelerator: Maritime. The programme, which runs over six-months will support businesses developing solutions to reduce emissions from vessels, ports and shipyard activities. 

The programme is funded by Innovate UK and delivered by the Catapult in collaboration with partners the National Shipbuilding Office, Portsmouth International Port, the Port of Tyne, and Serco. Participants will also benefit from insights and guidance from specialists at Maersk.

It builds on four years of the Catapult’s Maritime Accelerator programme, which has supported 29 SMEs and delivered 11 trials to date. This latest programme focuses on technologies that can reduce emissions from maritime operations, including decarbonisation, future fuels and electrification. 

Participating businesses will receive tailored commercial support and the opportunity to apply for up to £30,000 in funding to deliver a four-month trial of their solution with a programme partner. Three will be selected to progress to trials and will benefit from access to industry expertise, facilities and testing environments.  

The organisations selected and their innovations are:  

Compute Maritime is developing ‘NeuralShipper’, a generative artificial intelligence tool for ship design, helping naval architects and shipyards create higher-performing, lower-emission vessels in days rather than months. 

Discovery Technologies accelerates sustainable innovation in marine. Its composite boat building solution, D-COMP, is high performance, lightweight, and a truly sustainable alternative to e-glass and carbon fibre composites. 

MapBI is developing a digital twin platform for port and terminal yards that will help operators to visualise, track, and optimise the movement of cargo, vehicles, and equipment in real-time. 

MCG is developing an integrated carbon visibility platform that helps industrial companies verify their carbon footprint and reduce costs, enabling compliance with carbon border measures to facilitate trade and promote sustainability. 

PowerUp Off-Grid Services is moving clean energy in containers, reaching places wires can't, retiring the fossil fuel engines powering industry without losing the flexibility that made them hard to replace. 

Subworx is developing an innovative patented underwater inspection system that helps fleet operators assess hull integrity, move from reactive to proactive maintenance, and extend vessel life. 

“Maritime is the lifeblood of the UK's trading economy, but achieving net zero across the sector is one of transport's toughest decarbonisation challenges. As domestic maritime works towards zero fuel lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, the opportunity for UK innovators to develop world-leading solutions has never been greater.  

Through the Clean Transport Accelerator: Maritime, we're helping promising businesses develop, test and scale technologies that can support the sector's transition while creating economic growth.” 

Sameer Savani, Transport Managing Director at Connected Places Catapult