The Department for Transport (DfT) said on Monday (6 February) its aim was to have zero-emission cruise ships and ferries sailing in UK waters "within two years".
The cash, said the DfT, will fund a transition to battery-powered, low-carbon (hydrogen and ammonia) and wind assisted vessels, as well as expansion of shoreside electrical power capacity and facilities.
A multimillion-pound zero-emission vessels and infrastructure competition will invite companies to apply for funding to decarbonise onboard and shoreside technologies. The DfT said the effort marked the start of a commitment to a new "green age for maritime travel, free from emissions".
"This is the first time in UK history the government is intervening to specifically target this level of funding on green maritime tech which is already well developed," said the DfT.
It continued: "The funding will take the tech from the factory to the sea – identifying which projects will have a long-term impact in reducing emissions. Successful projects must show they could use this money to work with major UK ports and operators to launch a zero-emission vessel by 2025 at the latest."
Transport secretary Mark Harper said the cash would support "a more environmentally-friendly tourism industry" and "a net-zero maritime sector". "This multimillion-pound investment will help the latest tech ideas become reality and ensure UK waters will play host to green cargo ships, ferries and cruises in the next few years," he said.
Defence secretary and shipbuilding tsar Ben Wallace added the intervention would benefit "thousands of UK jobs".
Innovate UK will oversee the competition, with universities also urged to join forces to create a new Clean Maritime Research hub and tap into £7.4 million government funding.
