How will the UK, which calls for zero global shipping emissions by 2050, achieve such a challenging target?
Climate change is the most serious environmental challenge we face, and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has a key role to play in decarbonising the shipping industry.
The MCA aims to be a world leader in Maritime Emission Reduction and Autonomous Vessels
and has created the Maritime Future Technologies (MFT) team to focus on it. We want to be the voice and the leader globally; we are determined to make decarbonisation a reality.
Innovative technologies are needed to meet the environmental targets and MFT’s role is to enable their safe implementation. It is a huge opportunity for the UK Ship Register to offer the breadth and depth of technical expertise to our customers, inspiring them to unlock the solutions required.
MFT has led on building close partnerships in the industry, from maritime classification society Lloyds Register to multinational oil and shipping companies; we need to engage with various elements of the maritime industry to change minds. We also became the first flag to join forces with the Maersk McKinney Moller Center for Decarbonisation, as well as signing up to the Getting to Zero coalition.
We are also involved with the government’s Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC), a £23 million fund to support the design and development of sustainable maritime technologies. There are novel designs including hydrogen-powered vessels, technology to enable offshore charging, and zero emission commercial workboats. These are great first steps, there are more to come.
We need to ensure the UK is a worldwide role model, at the heart of driving the transition to zero emission shipping. Our task is to ensure the UK is agile enough to gain a significant share of the economic, environmental and health benefits associated with a technologically advanced and sustainable maritime industry.
It is wonderful to see industry tackling sustainability - and the right attitude is half the battle.
* Director of UK Maritime Services at the MCA
The answer was provided for NAFS magazine issue 143 in its special report “WOMEN in SHEPPING”