UK National Clean Maritime Research Hub
Lead Research Organisation:
Durham University
Department Name: Engineering
Abstract
Along the well-to-wake value chain from upstream processes associated with fuels production and supply, components manufacture, and ships construction to the operation of ports and vessels, the UK domestic and international shipping produced 5.9 Mt CO2eq and 13.8 Mt CO2eq, respectively in 2017, totalling 3.4% of the UK's overall greenhouse gas emissions. The sector contributes significantly to air pollution challenges with emissions of nitrogen oxide, sulphur dioxide and particulate matters, harming human health and the environment particularly in coastal areas.
The annual global market for maritime emission reduction technologies could reach $15 billion by 2050. This provides substantial economic opportunities for the UK. The Department for Transport's Clean Maritime Plan provides a route map for action on infrastructure, economics, regulation, and innovation that covers high technology readiness level (TRL 3-7). There is a genuine opportunity to explore fundamental research and go beyond conventional marine engineering and naval architecture and exploit the UK's world-leading cross-sectoral fundamental research expertise on hydrodynamics, fuels, combustion, electric machines and power electronics, batteries and fuel cells, energy systems, digitization, management, finance, logistics, safety engineering, etc. The proposed UK-MaRes Hub is a multidisciplinary research consortium and will conduct interdisciplinary research focussed on delivering disruptive solutions which have tangible potential to transform existing practice and reach a zero-carbon future by 2050.
The challenges faced by UK maritime activity and their solutions are generally common but when deployed locally, they are bespoke due to the specifics of the port, the vessels they support, and the dependencies on their supply chains. Implementation will be heavily dependent on the local community, existing infrastructure, as well as opportunities and constraints related to the supply, distribution, storage and bunkering of alternative fuels, in decarbonising port handling facilities and cold-ironing, with the integration of renewable energy, reducing air pollution, to land-use and increased capacity and capability, and the local development of skills.
The types of vessels and the cargoes handled through UK ports varies and are related to several factors, such as geographical location, regional industrial and business activity and wider transport links. Therefore, UK-MaRes Hub aims to feed into a clean maritime strategy that can adapt to place-based challenges and provide targeted technical and socio-economic interventions through a novel Co-innovation Methodology. This will bring together Research Exploration themes/work packages and Responsive Research Fund project activity into focus on port-centric scenarios and assess possibilities to innovate and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, 2040 and 2050 timeframes, sharing best practice across the whole maritime ecosystem.
A diverse, and inclusive Clean Maritime Network+ will ensure wider dissemination and knowledge take-up to achieve greater impact across UK ports and other maritime activity. The Network+ will have coordinated regional activity in South-West, Southern, London, Yorkshire & Lincolnshire, Midlands, North-West, North-East, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. An already established Clean Maritime Research Partnership has vibrant academic, industrial, and civic stakeholder members from across the UK. UK-MaRes Hub will establish a Clean Maritime Policy Unit to provide expert advice and quantitative evidence to enable rapid decarbonisation of the maritime sector. It will ensure that the UK-MaRes Hub is engaging with policymakers at all stages of the hub activities.
The annual global market for maritime emission reduction technologies could reach $15 billion by 2050. This provides substantial economic opportunities for the UK. The Department for Transport's Clean Maritime Plan provides a route map for action on infrastructure, economics, regulation, and innovation that covers high technology readiness level (TRL 3-7). There is a genuine opportunity to explore fundamental research and go beyond conventional marine engineering and naval architecture and exploit the UK's world-leading cross-sectoral fundamental research expertise on hydrodynamics, fuels, combustion, electric machines and power electronics, batteries and fuel cells, energy systems, digitization, management, finance, logistics, safety engineering, etc. The proposed UK-MaRes Hub is a multidisciplinary research consortium and will conduct interdisciplinary research focussed on delivering disruptive solutions which have tangible potential to transform existing practice and reach a zero-carbon future by 2050.
The challenges faced by UK maritime activity and their solutions are generally common but when deployed locally, they are bespoke due to the specifics of the port, the vessels they support, and the dependencies on their supply chains. Implementation will be heavily dependent on the local community, existing infrastructure, as well as opportunities and constraints related to the supply, distribution, storage and bunkering of alternative fuels, in decarbonising port handling facilities and cold-ironing, with the integration of renewable energy, reducing air pollution, to land-use and increased capacity and capability, and the local development of skills.
The types of vessels and the cargoes handled through UK ports varies and are related to several factors, such as geographical location, regional industrial and business activity and wider transport links. Therefore, UK-MaRes Hub aims to feed into a clean maritime strategy that can adapt to place-based challenges and provide targeted technical and socio-economic interventions through a novel Co-innovation Methodology. This will bring together Research Exploration themes/work packages and Responsive Research Fund project activity into focus on port-centric scenarios and assess possibilities to innovate and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, 2040 and 2050 timeframes, sharing best practice across the whole maritime ecosystem.
A diverse, and inclusive Clean Maritime Network+ will ensure wider dissemination and knowledge take-up to achieve greater impact across UK ports and other maritime activity. The Network+ will have coordinated regional activity in South-West, Southern, London, Yorkshire & Lincolnshire, Midlands, North-West, North-East, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. An already established Clean Maritime Research Partnership has vibrant academic, industrial, and civic stakeholder members from across the UK. UK-MaRes Hub will establish a Clean Maritime Policy Unit to provide expert advice and quantitative evidence to enable rapid decarbonisation of the maritime sector. It will ensure that the UK-MaRes Hub is engaging with policymakers at all stages of the hub activities.
Organisations
- Durham University (Lead Research Organisation)
- MAHLE Powertrain Ltd (Project Partner)
- Global Ship Lease, Inc. c/o Technomar (Project Partner)
- MOL (Europe Africa) Limited (Project Partner)
- Hyundai Motors Company (Project Partner)
- Hadland Maritime Limited (Project Partner)
- Stellar Systems (Project Partner)
- Kongsberg Group (Project Partner)
- Ulemco (Project Partner)
- Calculus Energy Limited (Project Partner)
- Peel Ports Group (Project Partner)
- Hellenic Marine Environment Protection A (Project Partner)
- PD Ports (Project Partner)
- Infineum (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- Prime Tanker Management Inc. (Project Partner)
- Rux Energy (Project Partner)
- Cowes Harbour Commission (Project Partner)
- Johnson Matthey (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- University of South-Eastern Norway (Project Partner)
- University of Cantabria (Project Partner)
- Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies Commission (Project Partner)
- Ceres Power (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- Repsol A.S. (Project Partner)
- Sapienza University of Rome (Project Partner)
- Spot Ship (Project Partner)
- ABL London Ltd. (Project Partner)
- Freeport East (Project Partner)
- Hynamics (Project Partner)
- Port of Felixstowe (Project Partner)
- Anemoi (Project Partner)
- King Abdulaziz University (Project Partner)
- Shell (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- Midlands Engine Partnership (Project Partner)
- Mersey Maritime Limited (Project Partner)
- Clean Air Power GT Ltd (Project Partner)
- COSCO shipping lines (UK) limited (Project Partner)
- BMT Group (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- Innospec (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- Persee (Project Partner)
- Suttons International Ltd (Project Partner)
- Teesside Freeport (Project Partner)
- ZIZO (Project Partner)
- Alpha Marine Consulting (Project Partner)
- Portsmouth International Port (Project Partner)
- Institute of Marine Engineering Science and Technology (Project Partner)
- Dover Harbour Board (DHB) (Project Partner)
- University of Porto (Project Partner)
- University of Zagreb (Project Partner)
- Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (Project Partner)
- Sustainable Shipping lnitiative (SSI) (Project Partner)
- Tees Valley Combined Authority (Project Partner)
- Delft University of Technology (Project Partner)
- SHARP Composites (Project Partner)
- INERIS (Project Partner)
- Fincantieri (Project Partner)
- Skeleton Technologies (Project Partner)
- Kellas Midstream (Project Partner)
- Antipollution and V Group (Project Partner)
- CRRC (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- Auriga Energy Ltd (Project Partner)
- Teignbridge Propellers (Services) Ltd (Project Partner)
- Connected Places Catapult (Project Partner)
- Ballard Power Systems Europe (Project Partner)
- Midlands Innovation (Project Partner)
- Orsted (Project Partner)
- Caledonian Maritime Assests Ltd (Project Partner)
- Toyota Technological Institute (Project Partner)
- Carisbrooke Shipping (Project Partner)
- DFDS A/S (Project Partner)
- ZEM Fuel Systems Ltd. (Project Partner)
- ASG Superconductors SpA (Project Partner)
- New Ship Evolution (Project Partner)
- Cummins Ltd (Project Partner)
- Sustainable Maritime Solutions (Project Partner)
- Cox Powertrain (Project Partner)
Publications
Ebne-Abbasi H
(2024)
CFD model of refuelling through the entire equipment of a hydrogen refuelling station
in International Journal of Hydrogen Energy
Farrukh S
(2023)
Pathways to Decarbonization of Deep-Sea Shipping: An Aframax Case Study
in Energies
Sivaraman S
(2024)
Flash boiling and pressure recovery phenomenon during venting from liquid ammonia tank ullage
in Process Safety and Environmental Protection