Industry calls for UK government support

In a letter to Mike Kane MP, who is now the Parliamentary under-secretary in the Department of Transport with the new Labour government, the agencies say that net zero targets can only be met if it has the confidence that a strategy and support will be forthcoming from the State.

The Clean Maritime Act that was implemented in 2019 needs to be updated, a multi-year strategy set out, and ’a technology neutral framework for government support and engagement, though important mechanisms like UK Shore, and a clear pathway to aid the sector in its determination to reach net zero’, the letter says.

Speaking to Maritime Journal, UK Chamber of Shipping director of Communications Tom Bartošák-Harlow said the maritime sector was one of just a few that did not have an emissions trajectory, and that it would be unusual for the government not to have a plan.

“We are lobbying for the government to publish a long-term strategy for decarbonising the shipping sector,” he said. “The Clean Maritime Act of 2019 is obsolete. The previous government had said it was going to refresh that plan but it wasn’t done and now of course there’s a new government.

“We are keen to make sure that the government treats the refresh to that plan as a top priority, which may have spending implications.”

He said the industry was keen to work with the government on setting out a plan so it was co-designed and not dictated by the government.

“A framework that aligns with the 2023 International Maritime Organisation Strategy will provide the private sector with the confidence that the government supports its efforts in enabling significant investment in the years ahead, generating new jobs and growth, not just around the UK coastline, but across the entire country,” the letter reads.

The letter is signed by UK Chamber of Shipping Rhett Hatcher; Cruise Lines International Association UK & Ireland managing director Andy Harmer; British Ports Association chief executive Richard Ballentyne; Workboat Association chief executive Kerrie Forster; Society of Maritime Industries chief executive Tom Chant; British Tugowners Association chairman Nick Jeffery; UK Major Ports Group chief executive Geraint Evans; and Maritime London chief executive Jos Standerwick.