On Monday 15th October, NWA Secretary Mark Ranson attended the first meeting of the Clean Maritime Council. The council, formed of 15 selected industry experts including the NWA, will make the plan for a zero emissions UK maritime sector.
The first meeting of the Clean Maritime Council fell on the first day of Green Great Britain Week and was opened by the Minister for Maritime, Nusrat Ghani.
The Council has been set up by the Government to devise a strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the maritime sector and improve air quality on and around the UK’s waterways, ports and shipping lanes.
There is a clear need for action on emissions from maritime. Air pollution is one of the greatest threats to public health and in 2016 domestic shipping accounted for 11% of the country’s nitrogen oxide emissions. CO2 emissions from maritime must be reduced in order to ensure we meet our targets on climate change.
The Council embodies experts from across the maritime sector – from industry leaders developing greener vessels, to academic studying the economics of emission reduction.
Some of the UK’s activity towards developing plans to reduce emissions from shipping include the development of ‘hybrid’ ferries – using battery power alongside traditional engines – alongside specific initiatives, such as that funded by innovate UK, which include greater use of hydrogen in traditional maritime fuels.
In 2019, the organization will publish its Clean Maritime Plan outlining policies to tackle emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases from the maritime sector, while ensuring the country can reap the economic benefits of the global transition to zero emission shipping.
Alongside NWA Secretary Mark Ranson, the council is formed of representatives from Innovate UK, the Committee on Climate Change, the UK Department for Transport and the UK Chamber of Shipping. To read the full list of council members, see the website here.
2018-10-26 09:00:00.0