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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: EP/Y024605/1
Title: UK National Clean Maritime Research Hub
Principal Investigator: Roskilly, Professor AP
Other Investigators:
Cairns, Professor A Wang, Professor Y Thornley, Professor EP
Rothman, Professor R Gerada, Professor C Irvine, Professor J
Makarov, Dr D Wu, Dr D Chong, Dr K
Dansoh, Dr C Moutzouris, Dr I Liu, Professor P
Wright, Dr L Morgan, Professor R Ling Chin, Dr J
Smith, Dr MJ Yang, Professor W Tsolakis, Professor A
Song, Professor D Molkov, Professor V Smallbone, Professor AJ
Panesar, Dr AS Atkins, Dr P Hu, Professor Z
Xie, Professor Y Turkmen, Dr S Xie, Dr X
Tricoli, Professor P
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
ABL London Ltd. Alpha Marine Consulting Anemoi
Antipollution and V Group ASG Superconductors SpA Auriga Energy Ltd
Ballard Power Systems Europe BMT Group Ltd (UK) Calculus Energy Limited
Caledonian Maritime Assests Ltd Carisbrooke Shipping CEA (Atomic Energy Commission) (France)
Ceres Power Ltd Clean Air Power GT Ltd Connected Places Catapult
COSCO shipping lines (UK) limited Cowes Harbour Commission Cox Powertrain
Cummins Ltd Delft University of Technology DFDS A/S
Dover Harbour Board (DHB) Fincantieri Freeport East
Global Ship Lease, Inc. c/o Technomar Hadland Maritime Limited Hellenic Marine Environment Protection A
Hynamics Hyundai Motors Company ImarEST
INERIS Infineum UK Ltd Innospec Environmental Ltd
Johnson Matthey Kellas Midstream King Abdulaziz University
Kongsberg Group Liverpool City Region Combined Authority MAHLE Powertrain Ltd
Mersey Maritime Limited Midlands Engine Partnership Midlands Innovation
MOL (Europe Africa) Limited New Ship Evolution Orsted
PD Ports Peel Ports Group Persee
Port of Felixstowe Portsmouth International Port Prime Tanker Management Inc.
Repsol A.S. Rux Energy SHARP Composites
Shell Skeleton Technologies Soil Machine Dynamics UK
Spot Ship Stellar Systems Sustainable Maritime Solutions
Sustainable Shipping lnitiative (SSI) Suttons International Ltd Tees Valley Combined Authority
Teesside Freeport Teignbridge Propellers (Services) Ltd Toyota
Ulemco University of Cantabria University of Porto
University of Rome I (La Sapienza) University of South-Eastern Norway University of Zagreb
ZEM Fuel Systems Ltd. ZIZO
Department: Engineering
Organisation: Durham, University of
Scheme: Standard Research
Starts: 01 September 2023 Ends: 31 March 2027 Value (£): 7,813,341
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Energy Efficiency Sustainable Energy Vectors
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Energy Transport Systems and Vehicles
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Panel DatePanel NameOutcome
20 Jul 2023 DfT Maritime Hubs Interview panel Announced
Summary on Grant Application Form
Along the well-to-wake value chain from upstream processes associated with fuels production and supply, components manufacture, and ships construction to the operation of ports and vessels, the UK domestic and international shipping produced 5.9 Mt CO2eq and 13.8 Mt CO2eq, respectively in 2017, totalling 3.4% of the UK's overall greenhouse gas emissions. The sector contributes significantly to air pollution challenges with emissions of nitrogen oxide, sulphur dioxide and particulate matters, harming human health and the environment particularly in coastal areas.

The annual global market for maritime emission reduction technologies could reach $15 billion by 2050. This provides substantial economic opportunities for the UK. The Department for Transport's Clean Maritime Plan provides a route map for action on infrastructure, economics, regulation, and innovation that covers high technology readiness level (TRL 3-7). There is a genuine opportunity to explore fundamental research and go beyond conventional marine engineering and naval architecture and exploit the UK's world-leading cross-sectoral fundamental research expertise on hydrodynamics, fuels, combustion, electric machines and power electronics, batteries and fuel cells, energy systems, digitization, management, finance, logistics, safety engineering, etc. The proposed UK-MaRes Hub is a multidisciplinary research consortium and will conduct interdisciplinary research focussed on delivering disruptive solutions which have tangible potential to transform existing practice and reach a zero-carbon future by 2050.

The challenges faced by UK maritime activity and their solutions are generally common but when deployed locally, they are bespoke due to the specifics of the port, the vessels they support, and the dependencies on their supply chains. Implementation will be heavily dependent on the local community, existing infrastructure, as well as opportunities and constraints related to the supply, distribution, storage and bunkering of alternative fuels, in decarbonising port handling facilities and cold-ironing, with the integration of renewable energy, reducing air pollution, to land-use and increased capacity and capability, and the local development of skills.

The types of vessels and the cargoes handled through UK ports varies and are related to several factors, such as geographical location, regional industrial and business activity and wider transport links. Therefore, UK-MaRes Hub aims to feed into a clean maritime strategy that can adapt to place-based challenges and provide targeted technical and socio-economic interventions through a novel Co-innovation Methodology. This will bring together Research Exploration themes/work packages and Responsive Research Fund project activity into focus on port-centric scenarios and assess possibilities to innovate and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, 2040 and 2050 timeframes, sharing best practice across the whole maritime ecosystem.

A diverse, and inclusive Clean Maritime Network+ will ensure wider dissemination and knowledge take-up to achieve greater impact across UK ports and other maritime activity. The Network+ will have coordinated regional activity in South-West, Southern, London, Yorkshire & Lincolnshire, Midlands, North-West, North-East, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. An already established Clean Maritime Research Partnership has vibrant academic, industrial, and civic stakeholder members from across the UK. UK-MaRes Hub will establish a Clean Maritime Policy Unit to provide expert advice and quantitative evidence to enable rapid decarbonisation of the maritime sector. It will ensure that the UK-MaRes Hub is engaging with policymakers at all stages of the hub activities.

Key Findings
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