MarRI-UK announces winners of Clean Maritime Call

£1.4m awarded to 10 organisations to develop green tech for the Maritime Sector

£1.4m has been awarded to 10 organisations as part of the Clean Maritime Call, a Maritime Research and Innovation UK (MarRI-UK) initiative supported by the Department for Transport (DfT). The grants will help find innovative ways to develop technology to assist the UK’s transition to a future of zero emission shipping, a long term ambition of Government.
The strategic vision for the future of the maritime sector was set out by the Government in 2019, through the publication of Maritime 2050. This included a commitment drive a transition towards zero emission shipping. As a consequence, the Clean Maritime Plan was developed in line with the Environment Route Map of Maritime 2050.

To support the goal of zero emission shipping, the Clean Maritime Call was launched. Organisations from across the UK were able to apply for a grant to develop mid TRL (TRL 3-7) technology. 55 submissions were made, with an eventual 10 project proposals being selected for funding. The winners were selected by independent reviewers on various criteria including their strategic fit with Maritime 2050, value for money and environment impact.

The following organisations were awarded a grant*:

1. Lead organisation: Babcock International Group
   Consortium: Fuel Cell Systems, Plug Power, University of Warwick Manufacturing Group
   Project Title: FC-BATShip Fuel Cell-Battery Hybrid Ship: Advanced power-energy management solution for zero emission marine propulsion systems
   Funding award: £195,407.00
2. Lead organisation: Bibby Marine Services Ltd.
   Consortium: Damen Shipyards, Lloyd’s Register, Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult, Peel Group, Square 5
   Project Title: WaveMaster Zero C
   Funding award: £ 208,528.00
3. Lead organisation: BMT
   Consortium: -
   Project Title: Energy Saving Technology (EST) Asset Leasing Models
   Funding award: £27,160.53
4. Lead organisation: Green Fuel Research
   Consortium: London South Bank University, University of Cardiff
   Project Title: SALMO: Sustainable Aquaculture Leading to Marine Opportunities
   Funding award: £243,814.69
5. Lead organisation: Intrada Ships Management
   Consortium: -
   Project Title: Electrification and Storage of Energy on Coastal General Cargo Vessel
   Funding award: £ 67,424.89
6. Lead organisation: Marine South East (Commercial) Ltd.
   Consortium: Houlder Ltd., Lloyds Register. Swanbarton Ltd
   Project Title: Flow Batteries for Marine Application (FLO-MAR)
   Funding award: £69,446.82
7. Lead organisation: Plymouth Boat Trips
   Consortium: EVParts, Plymouth University, Teignbridge Propellers, University of Exeter, Voyager Marine Ltd.
   Project Title: First Fully Electric Domestic Passenger Vessel in the UK
   Funding award: £105,500.00
8. Lead organisation: RS Sailing
   Consortium: -
   Project Title: TorQ
   Funding award: £250,000.00
9. Lead organisation: Signol
   Consortium: University College London (UCL) - Energy Institute
   Project Title: STEAM (Sustainability Through Efficient Actions in Maritime)
   Funding award: £129,846.56
10. Lead organisation: University of Nottingham
    Consortium: MAHLE Powertrain Ltd., Shell
    Project Title: Advanced Zero Emission Ammonia Engines for Future Marine Applications
    Funding award: £97,336.91

*Detail project summary can be found in MarRI-UK Website www.marri-uk.org

The funding represents an important step towards achieving a zero-emission future for the UK. Through the collaborative development of technology, there is an opportunity to decarbonise the economy and share British expertise across the world.

MarRI-UK will continue to champion collaboration between companies, academia and Government. The co-ordination of research across the maritime sector, underpinned by Government initatives and investment will support wider environmental ambitions linked in innovation.

Kelly Tolhurst, Maritime Minister, said:

“I’m delighted to see the diverse nature and scale of ambition shown by the winners of the Clean Maritime Call.
“Our vision is for the UK to be a world leader in zero-emission shipping and we will continue to support innovative projects, such as these, that aim to make our air cleaner and create a healthy environment for generations to come.”

John Howie MBE, Chair of MarRI-UK and CEO of Babcock International, Marine, said:

“We are pleased to announce the winners of the Clean Maritime Call. These projects will play an important role in supporting the British maritime sector’s vision of zero-emission shipping and the UK Government’s Maritime 2050 strategy.
“It was encouraging to see such a high quality and large volume of responses, which made it all the harder to choose only ten project winners. The quality and quantity of submissions is a testimony to the commitment to continued development and innovation across the Maritime sector.”

Harry Theochari, Chair of Maritime UK said:

“The current coronavirus crisis posed massive challenges for all parts of the economy, maritime included. It is vital that as we move to restart, recover, and then renew, we place green growth at the heart of our recovery plans.

“As one of Britain’s biggest industries, and with a unique responsibility for moving 95% of all our trade, greening maritime must be central to the meeting the government’s net-zero targets.
“It is therefore fantastic to see so many credible solutions to that mission being successful in this first funding call. It is incumbent on both industry and government to ensure that these ideas are now supported further and developed into viable solutions.”

Guy Tomlinson, Programmes Director BMT, said:

“We are delighted to be announced as one of the competition winners in UK’s first funding call to industry. BMT’s ‘Energy Saving Technology Asset Leasing Models’, backed by project financing in the United Kingdom, will serve to support the infrastructure needed to implement green-shipping thoroughly. In addition this winning innovation and technology project will work towards achieving the UK’s Clean Maritime Plan to reach net-zero emissions in the domestic waters by 2050.”