The government has said that all vessels that operate in UK waters and dock at UK ports should be carbon free by 2050 as part of its climate change goals.
A new decarbonisation strategy for the maritime sector sets out goals to reduce GHG emissions by 30% by 2030, 80% by 2040 and to zero by 2050. This will see the UK match the highest level of the goals agreed by the International Maritime Organization in its 2023 strategy on reduction of emissions from ships.
Global shipping is responsible for around 3% of the world’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and, with global trade predicted to quadruple by 2050, these emissions will increase rapidly without urgent action.
The shipping sector is considered hard to decarbonise, as electrifying ships is considerably more challenging than electrifying cars from both a technical and a market perspective.
A ship is also a much bigger capital investment than a car and has a lifespan of several decades, meaning that the maritime sector could be plagued...