£2.5m 'cluster' towards a more sustainable Maritime Industry

The greening of Liverpool’s £5 billion maritime industry is being accelerated with fresh funding to fast-track research and innovation into the sector.

Universities and industry will work more closely with local government to apply emerging solutions, such as alternative fuels, ship retrofitting and digitisation as the maritime sector works towards net zero by 2050*.

“Maritime is increasingly recognised as a sector which is vital to the regional and national economy and where 21^st century solutions are needed,” said Professor Zaili Yang, project lead at Liverpool John Moores University.

“Together, we aim to drive innovation to produce a cleaner, more effective industry to drive innovation, growth and job creation.”

The £2.5 million project was announced today by the government’s UKRI agency, which funds research in universities.

The Maritime and Last Mile Net Zero project will run for four years and brings together Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Sefton Council, Wirral Council, Knowsley Council, LCR Freeport and both the University of Liverpool (UoL) and Queen's University Belfast.

It is one of seven projects announced nationally by UKRI to strengthen emerging and existing research and innovation clusters to kickstart economic growth and address regional needs.

Globally, maritime operates an ageing fleet that runs almost exclusively on fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions have risen 20% over the last decade.

Beyond cleaner fuels, the industry needs to move faster towards shore power, onboard carbon capture, hydrogen and digital solutions like AI and to improve efficiency as well as sustainability.

LJMU and UoL are already working with Bibby Marine to design electric ships to service offshore platforms, and the three universities are partnering Connected Place Catapult for a ‘green shipping corridor’ between Liverpool and Belfast.

The Liverpool City Region is home to a rapidly growing port and maritime economy that handles 45% of UK trade from North America and is estimated to contribute £800m in gross value added to the economy.  It hosts one of the UK’s largest maritime clusters, encompassing shipping and ports; renewable energy generation; and international freight logistics.

The project will bring greater cohesion and join-up researchers, civic bodies and businesses to drive innovation across the maturing LCR maritime cluster that covers areas including commercial shipping, transport, fuels and vessel designs.

The expectation is the UKRI investment will lead to the translation of research and technology into commercial applications that will benefit the maritime industry and will provide insights that could be extended to national levels.

Dr Aileen Jones, Pro Vice-Chancellor (External Engagement and Partnerships) at LJMU, said: “It is vitally important that the Liverpool City Region is leveraging academic and technical expertise within the universities to power innovation in the economy.

“We are particularly delighted that this collaboration is acknowledged as an integral part of the LCR’s first Maritime Innovation Action Plan.”

Ruth Wood, Chief Executive of Mersey Maritime, said: “Decarbonisation of the maritime industry and delivering a cleaner and greener sector is at the forefront of much thinking within Mersey Maritime and our industry members. The scale of the challenge is significant and requires world-leading expertise and research to accelerate innovation across the sector.

"This announcement on a ‘Maritime and Last Mile Net Zero’ project, is fantastic news which will allow industry to work collaboratively to apply emerging solutions, such as alternative fuels, ship retrofitting and digitisation as the maritime sector moves towards net zero. This work speaks to the themes and agendas we are championing and we look forward to working with our key partners and stakeholders as this project moves forward in the coming years.”

Professor Andy Plater, at the University of Liverpool, said: “This success is a further development of collaboration with LJMU in the maritime sector, working alongside key partners such as LCR Combined Authority, Mersey Maritime, and Maritime Research and Innovation UK.

“The University of Liverpool is bringing its strong IAA track record and research portfolio to accelerate impact in maritime and last mile decarbonisation and digitalization by providing funding for pump-priming projects across academia and industry.”

EPSRC Executive Chair, Professor Charlotte Deane, said: "The seven projects announced today will harness regional research and innovation strengths to unleash the potential of emerging and existing innovation clusters across the UK. Our investment will strengthen partnerships between UK universities, civic bodies and local businesses to create new jobs, improve skills and boost regional economic growth that will benefit places and communities directly."

- The two Liverpool universities recently launched the UK’s first doctoral training scheme for decarbonising the maritime industry to train high-level leader-researchers in the field.

*IMO has a target of 2050 to achieve net zero emissions in shipping and is also developing regulations aiming to reduce the greenhouse gas intensity of ship fuel and implement the  first global, mandatory charge on GHG emissions by 2027. 

Notes:

The Maritime and Last Mile Net Zero project is funded through EPSRC’s Place Based Impact Acceleration Account (PBIAA) scheme which provides research organisations with flexible funding enabling them to drive impacts from their research portfolio through a wide range of activities.

Each consortium focuses on a scientific theme in engineering and physical sciences research and targets a specific geographical area to support the expansion or development of a research and innovation cluster.