The maritime sector has been given greater support to deliver innovative solutions and new technology in the race to decarbonise the industry and grow the economy, as the government commits £34 million of funding, part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC).

With the fourth round of funding, this brings the total invested through the CMDC to £129 million.

The competition looks to foster and promote continued progress toward reaching net zero goals through the development of novel and sustainable technologies that will help connect people, goods, and services in a cleaner, greener way.

Maritime Minister Baroness Charlotte Vere said:

“Pushing the boundaries of possibility is integral to the UK’s global ambition of a greener maritime sector.

“That’s why today’s new round of funding continues to set that course, not only keeping our climate goals on track but also boosting opportunities for private investment, new jobs, and growing the economy.

“The UK’s maritime sector is one of the most competitive and innovative in the world and today’s latest clean maritime demonstration competition funding is a testament to that.”

Funding will open for applications on 2 August until 27 September. The competition scope and eligibility criteria are available to read on the competition web page now.

Prospective bids will be assessed against a range of criteria to see how likely they will deliver real-world demonstrations of clean maritime technology. This can include everything from creating alternative fuel sources for freight ships to pushing the limits of battery-powered vessels.

A total of 105 projects across the UK have been awarded more than £95 million in the first 3 rounds of the CMDC to support the design and development of clean maritime solutions towards commercialisation.

One example of this is MJR Controls, which has been developing a charging system that can be installed on offshore wind turbines. This will power electric crew transfer boats and maintenance vessels operating in offshore wind farms, reducing carbon emissions.

The CMDC is funded by the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) and delivered by Innovate UK. UK SHORE is a programme within the DfT focused on accelerating the technology necessary to decarbonise the domestic maritime sector and is delivering a suite of interventions aimed at addressing different barriers to maritime decarbonisation.

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CMDC Competition