Following the announcement by the Department for Transport (DfT) of a sixth round of the UK SHORE ‘Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition’ earlier this year, the winners have now been announced. CMDC6 sees £30million of funding made available across three strands focused on pre-deployment trials, feasibility studies and smart shipping. Mersey Maritime hosted a special CMDC6 industry briefing with representatives from the DfT, Innovate UK and Innovate UK Business Connect on 11 February 2025, with the support of Liverpool John Moores University.
A number of businesses and organisations associated with Mersey Maritime have been successful in this funding round, including the University of Liverpool, Maersk, Stone Marine Propulsion Ltd, GT Wings, Bibby Marine and the Connected Places Catapult. This announcement secures over £700,000 of investment for Mersey Maritime members, which will support growth and innovation, including across the North West and Liverpool City Region.
The projects are grouped across the following three strands of activity:
Strand 1 – Pre-deployment trials
- The University of Liverpool is part of a multi-region consortium working on a project focused on a ‘smart renewable energy generation and storage system for sustainable coastal power (SMARTPOWER)’.
- Maersk Line UK is working with partners on a project focused on a ‘zero emission refrigerated freight container with solid-state cooling and novel insulations’.
Strand 2 – Feasibility studies
- The University of Liverpool is working with consortia partners on a ‘maritime future fuels training plan.’
- Stone Marine Propulsion Ltd will support a project focused on a ‘techno-economy feasibility study of manufacturing digitally enabled efficient propellers.’
- Connected Places Catapult are a partner in delivering a project focused on helping to create an ‘Isles of Scilly clean maritime corridor’. Although the Isles of Scilly is certainly ‘out of region’, Mersey Maritime works closely with CPC on a range of maritime focused projects.
Strand 3 – Smart shipping
- GT Wings are the lead partner in ‘Project AirTwin: AI control, weather routing and digital twin systems for optimal wind-assisted ship performance’.
- Bibby Marine are part of a consortium working on a project focused on ‘virtual reality-based immersive education for next-generation zero emission vessels (VRIVEN).’
Simon Eardley, Head of Policy and Innovation at Mersey Maritime, commented:
“Mersey Maritime is delighted to see North West based or associated businesses and organisations benefiting from the latest round of UK SHORE funding support to help deliver the necessity of decarbonisation within our sector.
This most recent announcement around the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition round six ‘winners’ demonstrates again the capability and innovation potential that the Liverpool City Region and wider region offers as we transition towards a cleaner, greener maritime industry. Crucially this focus also helps to deliver much needed economic growth – that’s jobs and resources to invest in wider priorities across the economy.
We remain committed to supporting industry on its decarbonisation and innovation journey. That’s why this year we’ve been heavily focused on our industry, academia and government backed Navigating Maritime Innovation in the LCR project. We would encourage anyone who is yet to engage with us on the project, to reach out and do so.”
Paul Clarke, Head of Container Equipment Technology, Innovation & New Building at A.P. Møller – Mærsk commented:
“It is fantastic this group involving Maersk Line UK, Cambridge Refrigeration Technology, and Botanic Energy have been awarded this research grant from Innovate UK. This will enable us to further codevelop the science & technology behind solid state cooling options, and advanced insulation for reefer containers, further embracing net Zero and safety for future reefer container builds. Expanding this group, we will be able to expand on the theory and smaller practical advancements already made by Botanic Energy, into the larger a further practical and industrial applications for reefer containers.”
Nigel Quinn, CEO at Bibby Marine commented:
“We are delighted to be part of the ‘virtual reality-based immersive education for next-generation zero emission vessels (VRIVEN)’ project, a groundbreaking initiative that brings together innovation, sustainability, and immersive education. By combining cutting-edge virtual reality training with the development of our world’s first hybrid-electric Commissioning Service Operation Vessel (eCSOV), we’re helping to shape a cleaner and more skilled maritime industry. This project also reflects our broader commitment to exploring the use of alternative fuels in the offshore vessel space, as we work together to create a more sustainable future at sea.”
Prof. Andy Plater, University of Liverpool lead for Maritime and Last Mile Impact Accelerator and co-lead for the Net Zero Maritime Energy Solutions Doctoral Training Centre, commented:
“The University of Liverpool is making a significant contribution to maritime decarbonisation through UKRI- and UK Government-funded research, and now especially through our successes in Round 6 of CMDC. Critical to realising the commercial application and impact of our fundamental research is working closely with Mersey Maritime and its membership, developing fruitful partnerships between academic and maritime sector colleagues and ensuring that our expertise and world-leading research facilities can be brought to bear on industry needs and priorities. The Clean Maritime Competition provides an effective vehicle for supporting industry-led collaborations that will lead to the necessary reductions in emissions and optimisations of resources, time and data.”
- Read the Government’s news release HERE
- To learn more about each project, click HERE
- To find out more about our Navigating Maritime Innovation in the LCR project or to register your interest, please click HERE
