Source · Select Committees · Transport Committee
Recommendation 11
11
Accepted
Paragraph: 68
The Government’s aim of becoming a world leader in developing clean maritime technologies is ambitious...
Conclusion
The Government’s aim of becoming a world leader in developing clean maritime technologies is ambitious and will aid the UK’s competitive advantage. There is an urgent need, however, to scale up and commercialise existing technologies, which may assist in reaching net zero more quickly. We believe this is an oversight in current funding streams.
Government Response Summary
The government agrees on the need to scale up and commercialize technologies and highlights the existing £206m UK SHORE programme and the £77m Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure (ZEVI) scheme.
Paragraph Reference:
68
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The Government agrees – but is unable to commit to public long-term funding. The £206m UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) was announced as part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh on 10 March 2022. This is the biggest Government investment ever in our commercial maritime sector and focuses on accelerating the technology necessary to decarbonise our domestic maritime sector. We welcome the Committee’s positive stance, reflecting that of the industry which has engaged positively with the programme. The UK SHORE programme has already allocated over £95m match-funding to 105 projects across the UK to support the design and development of low-to-mid TRL clean maritime technologies. The £77m Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure (ZEVI) scheme launched in 2023 to target the high TRL end of the R&D pipeline. The ZEVI competition will provide match-funding to near-commercial and near-to-market ready clean maritime solutions to reduce innovation risk and encourage the private investment needed to progress clean maritime technologies, whilst providing valuable evidence on their efficacy to unlock further private investment and inform future policy and regulation. UK SHORE interventions will continue to be rolled out until 2025. These will help to bridge the gap between new, clean solutions and conventional technologies, helping the UK achieve our domestic net zero targets. The UK SHORE programme will also help industry to capitalise on the emergence of new markets, placing the UK at the forefront of the design and manufacture of zero emission vessels. Further investment beyond March 2025 is dependent on future budget decisions and will be taken in due course.