4.5 Transport Decarbonisation Plan: Maritime

Commitment

We will plot a course to net zero for the UK domestic maritime sector, with indicative targets from 2030 and net zero as early as is feasible

Detailed proposals

We will establish, following public consultation in 2022, an ambitious ‘Course to Zero’.

Following consultation, we will establish ambitious indicative targets for the domestic maritime sector recognising that we have ground to make up, covering 2030 and onwards.

We will embed this course in our Clean Maritime Plan (CMP), as part of a planned review and refresh which is due to start in 2022 and include within the CMP the longterm interventions needed to achieve full decarbonisation.

We will consult on the potential for a planned phase out date for the sale of new non-zero emission domestic vessels

We will consult in mid-2022 upon the potential for long term decarbonisation to be accelerated through carefully designed, well signposted measures to phase out the sale of new, non-zero emission domestic vessels, building on the experiences of the steps being undertaken today in other modes of transport.

Transport Decarbonisation Plan Tracker

Progress report two years on | June 2023

Progress

Response to July 2022 Course to Zero consultation not yet published.

Measurable targets for both home and abroad are needed.

We urge ministers to bring forward the promised Clean Maritime Plan, which will give industry the certainty it needs to invest in technology. (Transport Committee criticises the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Maritime 2050 strategy 20 March 2023.)

The Department intends to publish a revised Clean Maritime Plan in 2023. This plan will set out the next steps to decarbonising the maritime sector. (February 2023)

July to October 2022 consultation took place. Government response has not yet been published.

RIA Rating

We will assess how economic instruments could be used to accelerate the decarbonisation of the domestic maritime sector

Building on the work undertaken in Maritime 2050, the Clean Maritime Plan, and the Department’s published research, we will further investigate the use of economic instruments to drive sectoral decarbonisation.

Closed consultation on Domestic maritime decarbonisation: the course to net zero emissions. The government response has not yet been published.

We will accelerate the development of zero emission technology and infrastructure in the UK

We have recently launched a £20 million funding package – the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) – to support and accelerate research, design and development of zero emission technology and infrastructure solutions for maritime and accelerate decarbonisation. The CMDC will run for a year from March 2021 and will provide support to projects that contribute to both reducing emissions in the near term and demonstrating how the sector can transition to net zero operations.

We will explore the establishment of a UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK-SHORE). This is a dedicated unit within the Department for Transport focused on decarbonising the maritime sector.

Tankers, cruise ships, ports and the wider maritime sector could play their part in slashing emissions and boosting economic growth thanks to £60 million of funding for the UK maritime industry.

UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £12 million for innovative clean maritime technologies. This funding is from The Department for Transport. (July 2022 competition closed)

The first of a series of packages launched as part of the implementation of UK SHORE. (May 2022) Note: There is no equivalent in rail.