The sixth round of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC), a UK government-funded initiative to support the delivery of net zero emissions across the maritime industry, is currently open for bidders until April 16, 2025.
CMDC round 6, unveiled in January this year, invites UK-registered organizations to apply for their share of a £30 million (about €35 million) fund to pitch and develop innovative clean maritime technologies and skills.
Delivered by Innovate UK on behalf of the Department for Transport’s UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) program, each iteration of the scheme awards funds in areas of green technology, decarbonization and skills development.
“Essentially, the CMDC provides funding to projects that progress innovative ideas and concepts,” Gwen Lancaster , HQ Consultant Surveyor at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) which has been at the forefront of CMDC, commented.
“The MCA provides technical maritime advice and insight to the programme, guiding both the technology focus and advising on aspects and areas that require certification, surveying or regulatory compliance. We’re able to consider the regulatory pathway and how entirely new products or inventions can be certified according to our processes and standards.”
Previous rounds of the CMDC have funded a diverse range of projects, covering future fuels such as hydrogen and ammonia, electrification of vessels and energy efficiency alongside feasibility studies exploring concepts like UK green shipping corridors in support of the Clydebank Declaration.
As explained, MCA’s role in the delivery of this program is particularly key when a project involves the integration of an innovative technology with an existing ship, as a recent example the MCA supported the integration and subsequent sea trials of a 20m wing sail developed by a consortium led by Smart Green Shipping, with the sail being retrofit to the UK-flagged Pacific Grebe.
The sail, which operates autonomously, has the potential to reduce energy demand and fuel consumption significantly, cutting operating costs and CO2 emissions while aiding UK decarbonization efforts.
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In related news, the UK recently announced a major plan to decarbonize its fleet by 2050 while simultaneously supporting coastal communities.
In late March 2025, British Maritime Minister Mike Kane unveiled the government’s new ambition pertaining to all vessels that operate in UK waters and dock at the country’s ports in which support would be provided to ensure the ships would be carbon-free and that vessel owners, operators as well as scientists could turn emission-free voyages into reality.
At the center of this plan are alternative fuels as well as the necessary infrastructure to provide charging or refueling facilities for vessels as part of the nation’s transition to sustainable energy sources.
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