Shipbuilders and marine engineers are building a physical model of a zero-emission propulsion system that combines batteries and hydrogen to replace heavy diesel engines in commercial vessels. This matters because shipping generates a significant share of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet few practical alternatives to diesel exist for large working vessels. The project addresses a critical gap: ship owners, operators, and regulators lack a working demonstrator they can trust to prove that clean propulsion is safe and viable. Without such a proof-of-concept, the maritime industry will struggle to move beyond fossil fuels. If the demonstrator succeeds, it could transform how vessels servicing offshore wind farms—and other commercial ships—are powered. The immediate impact would be on the marine environment and climate, by cutting emissions from a sector that currently has few clean options. It would also position the UK’s zero-emission technology companies as leaders in a rapidly growing global market for clean shipping, accelerating demand for new vessels and driving the shift away from diesel well before mid-century targets.
View original technical description
The transition to clean transport requires a step change in technology, and adoption by industrial sectors such as commercial marine. Presently, shipping accounts for over 6% of the world's Green House Gas emissions but there are few viable alternatives to heavy diesel engines. The project aims to accelerate the shift to clean marine shipping by demonstrating a physical model of a clean (zero emissions) propulsion system, that can be used by ship builders, operators and legislators to help drive meaningful progress towards emission free shipping in future. The Maritime sector requires clean propulsion demonstrators to build trust that clean propulsion is possible. By designing and building a highly ambitious project, the partners aim to prove that it is possible to power ships and working vessels safely and with confidence in a much shorter timeframe than is currently proposed by the 2050 Net Zero ambitions. The project is based around a well understood requirement, acquired during CMDC1 projects with the existing partners, for a number of vessels which are urgently required to service the offshore wind farms under development in the North and Irish seas (Celtic Sea Power, Dogger Bank, array). A successful conclusion to this project will prove the capabilities of UK zero emission companies, and rapidly accelerate demand for new vessels from what is rapidly becoming a multi-billion-pound sector. It will place the UK at the forefront of the transition to clean technologies and will have immediate and long-lasting positive impacts on the marine and atmospheric (climatic) environments.
Plain English summaries and category classifications on this site are generated by AI and may not perfectly reflect the original research.
Is something wrong? Let us know