The UK Government made a pledge in the Clydebank Declaration at COP26 to establish six green shipping corridors by 2026.  This report describes in detail a pathway to deliver, what could be the first in the UK, between Liverpool and Belfast. This route is approximately 130 nautical miles and is one of the busiest routes in the Irish Sea, connecting the two major UK cities. A green shipping corridor is defined by the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UKSHORE) as zero emission maritime routes between two or more ports, and are seen as vital for encouraging the development of vessel and shoreside technology in clean maritime.

Maritime, shipping and the movement of goods and people in the region via its ports is a major economic driver for both Liverpool and Belfast, contributing £5BN in economic activity.  However this activity also attracts significant global greenhouse gas emissions and contributes to poor air quality locally.  The UK is committed to see these emissions reduce and recognises that as an Island Nation, this represents a sizeable challenge and opportunity to transition to low or net zero emissions.   This report is a summation of a lot of focused work by a large stakeholder group in examining options for decarbonising a route linking the Ports of Liverpool and Belfast, to demonstrate it is possible and establish a blueprint available for scaling to other routes, perhaps initially in the Irish Sea Region and then further afield.

This report captures what is needed to establish a green shipping corridor and identifies 29 suitable pilot projects to develop the corridor further and secure a leading international role in green ports and shipping for the UK. Green shipping corridors require a systems approach to implementation and to consider each element that contributes directly to the reduction of carbon emissions or provides a part of the enabling environment to support this reduction. We have identified the existing assets and enabling components of the maritime ecosystem, including subjects such as fuel production and communication systems, as well as governance and skills.  This is a substantive tome full of rich detail covering nationally applicable matters but through a focused place lens.  Delivering a Green Shipping Corridor is complex, but this work has shown us that with a well motivated stakeholder group this can be broken down in to manageable and crucially investible projects ready for delivery.

This report is an output of an Innovate UK funded programme, Pulse, which examined a suite of challenges in the aviation and maritime sectors.  The report has been prepared by Connected Places Catapult, working in collaboration with Royal HaskoningDHV, Liverpool John Moores University, the University of Liverpool, Queens University Belfast, and Mersey Maritime.

This report is part of a larger body of ongoing work to decarbonise the maritime sector, supported principally by the Department for Transport, Department for Business & Trade, the National Shipbuilding Office and Innovate UK.  UKSHORE supported by Innovate UK has administered the Clean Maritime Demonstration programme, investing £206M of grants with private sector match funding since 2022 across a host of propulsion and infrastructure projects.  This includes investing in selection of feasibility studies into Clean / Green Shipping Corridors between the UK and Europe, which are due to conclude by Spring 2025.

The Maritime Accelerator is a programme powered by Connected Places Catapult, designed to support SMEs with innovative solutions that can be applied in the maritime sector.

We will select up to 8 SMEs to join the programme where they will receive a bespoke support tailored to their business needs. This will include investment readiness, business modelling, customer profiling and enterprise selling. The SMEs will also get an opportunity to design and deliver technology trials and will be supported by a consortium of industry, government, academic and regulatory partners.

This application support webinar will cover the programme challenges and guidance on the application process. Connected Places Catapult will work alongside partners to ensure that the programme tackles significant sector challenges and accelerates innovation in the marketplace.

Partners include Port of Tyne, DP World, National Shipbuilding Office, Serco, University of Plymouth, Portsmouth International Port, Royal Navy Maritime Enterprise, Maersk, and Houlder.

The application process will be open shortly, in the meantime register for the webinar to find out more.

The webinar will be followed by two Q&A drop-in sessions on the 6th and 10th June.

Join us for the launch of our Maritime SME Innovation Funding Guide packed with first-hand information and expert insights on the available public and private investment for UK entrepreneurs looking to innovate in this major sector of our economy.

There is no better time than the beginning of the new year to get up to speed with the funding landscape in the sector and hear from key contributors to our Maritime SME Funding Guide from the investment and innovation community. During this webinar we’ll be covering topics like grant and equity funding as well as what support is available for you as innovator to give your best shot at securing the right funding needed for your sustainable growth. Fellow entrepreneurs from across CPC’s accelerator, funding and cluster programmes with stakes in the digitalisation, decarbonization and safety of our ports and ships will share their own innovation funding journeys and perspectives on the maritime as a growth opportunity.

Our goal is to offer you a dynamic, interactive session where you’ll have the opportunity to ask our experts and fellow innovators questions and come away with useful information and clear action plan how to fund your maritime innovation in the new year ahead.

For any questions please contact metodi.naydenov@cp.catapult.org.uk

Mark Wray, our Ecosystem Director, Maritime & Ports, will Chair the panel session titled ‘Targeting Net Zero – Opportunities and Challenges’ on Day 1 (11:45-12:30), with panellists from Frazer-Nash Consultancy, Serco, Ricardo and OREC.
Also on Day 1, Richard Wigley, our SME Innovation Support Team Lead, will deliver a presentation as part of  the session titled ‘Sustainable Business Model Innovation’ from 14:30.

On Day 2, Justin Anderson, Director of Digital Twin Hub, will join the Innovation Exchange session from 11:45 to deliver a ‘lightning talk’.

Finally, on Day 3 of the event, Service Designers Trusha Oza and Eleanor Pile will host a workshop on inclusive innovation, from 12:50; and Mark Wray will Chair a panel on Disruptive Technology and How can it positively impact our Ports.

Ports have a major role in helping the maritime industry transition to net zero by 2050. The Port of Aberdeen, in particular, is a crucial player in international energy, trade, and tourism, and is a key enabler within the local, regional, and national supply chains.

A recent study carried out by a team of partners including; Port of Aberdeen, Buro Happold, Connected Places Catapult, and Energy Systems Catapult, aimed to understand future power demands, low carbon energy supply sources, and developed a roadmap for implementation to decarbonise port operations.

The study explored green alternative power sources and technologies to power port and third-party owned equipment, including road vehicles, cranes, reach stackers, tugs, pilot boats, and quayside infrastructure. In addition, high-level future energy demands were mapped out to gain a comprehensive understanding of the requirements moving forward.

The results of this study have wider implications across the UK port sector and align with the emissions reductions goals published in the Department for Transport’s Clean Maritime Plan of 2019. The study also has strong connections to both the Shore Power Feasibility Study 2021 and the Outline Business Case 2021-2022 carried out at Port of Aberdeen.

This summary aims to highlight all of the project work and outputs and share information that will be helpful for other UK ports on their net zero journey. The summary also lists how the project partners can support ports on their journey and enable the UK maritime sector to take the lead on the decarbonisation journey.

In conclusion, the Port of Aberdeen and its partners are leading the way in decarbonising port operations, and their work will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the UK’s transition to net zero by 2050. As the maritime industry continues to evolve and adapt, it is crucial that ports play their part in reducing emissions and creating a more sustainable future for all.

Connected Places Catapult, the UK’s innovation accelerator for cities, transport, and place leadership, today announced the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) selected to take part in the 2023 Maritime Accelerator.

The companies selected are developing technologies that respond to challenges in the sector around automation and decarbonisation. These areas of focus were identified by the programme partners: DP World Southampton; Houlder; Maersk; the National Shipbuilding Office; Port of Tyne; Serco and the University of Plymouth. These partners have recently been joined by the Royal Navy, which has agreed to provide support to SMEs on the accelerator.

Over the next three months, the cohort of SMEs will receive bespoke business development, investment readiness and technical support from Connected Places Catapult. They will also gain access to expertise and insights from the programme partners, and an opportunity to explore and design trials with them, funded through the accelerator where applicable.

Meet the SMEs selected for the Maritime Accelerator:

Cargo Stream UK provides a platform that encompasses essential management and integrates AI for the maritime and land transportation industries.

Geospatial Insight brings together data analytics with satellite imagery to help clients in the maritime sector to monitor air quality and greenhouse gas emissions.

Mission Zero Technologies develops negative emissions solutions to recover CO₂ from the atmosphere for circular use or permanent removal.

PurEmissions has developed filtration technology that allows vessels and ports to meet strict emission limits and reduce their carbon footprint.

Unitrove Innovation provides zero emission fuelling infrastructure such as green liquid hydrogen, green compressed gaseous hydrogen and renewable electricity for maritime applications.

Unmanned Life has developed a software platform known as U-Security that deploys autonomous drones for security surveillance at port facilities.

The Maritime & Ports Ecosystem team, as well as the Delivery team, will engage in a variety of activity over the course of LISW23.

We are delighted to invite you to the Aberdeen Science Centre to hear about our Innovate UK Clean Maritime Demonstration project, Aberdeen Port Zero – accelerating the transition to NetZero.

This half day event will comprise of presentations from both external industry experts and the project team who will share the key findings and outcomes from the ‘Port Zero’ feasibility study. There will also be a Q&A session for you to ask us more about the project.

As seating is limited, we kindly request you apply to attend at your earliest convenience to secure a place and confirm dietary requirements.

We welcome attendees that have not been directly invited by a member of the project team – please also apply to attend the event and we will confirm availability as soon as possible.

We are finalising the full programme and we will update shortly.

The Project

The project aims to transition the Port of Aberdeen’s day to day operations to NetZero by 2040 emissions through adapting and supporting the development and introduction of innovative technology and processes.

The ‘Port Zero’ feasibility study has explored green, alternative power sources and technologies to power port and third party owned equipment including but not limited to road vehicles, cranes, reach stackers, tugs and pilot boats etc, as well as quayside infrastructure.

If you have any questions please contact richard.holland@cp.catapult.org.uk

The Maritime Accelerator is a programme powered by Connected Places Catapult, designed to support SMEs with innovative solutions that can be applied in the maritime sector.

We will select up to 10 SMEs to join the programme where they will receive a bespoke support tailored to their business needs. This will include investment readiness, business modelling, customer profiling and enterprise selling. The SMEs will also be supported by a consortium of industry, government, academic and regulatory partners and some will get an opportunity to design and deliver technology trials.

This application support webinar will cover the programme challenges and guidance on the application process. Connected Places Catapult will work alongside partners to ensure that the programme tackles significant sector challenges and accelerates innovation in the marketplace.

Partners include Port of Tyne, National Shipbuilding Office, Plymouth University, DP World, Serco, and Houlder with further to be announced soon.

For more details on the programme, visit our opportunity page.