Maritime Research and Innovation UK (MarRI-UK) submitted a Comprehensive Spending Review bid seeking £530 million of Government co-investment for a programme that aims to encourage greater use of safe, zero-carbon short sea shipping network.
A Zero-carbon Coastal Highway programme to transform the UK goods distribution reliance on road haulage could enable the UK to become a leading innovator in the global maritime sector. The ambition is to move more than 25% of UK’s land haulage tonne km via a zero-carbon automated fleet by 2030. MarRI-UK estimates that a successful transition to the network will add £1.8 billion additional revenue to the UK, create 39,000 extra jobs and reduce land-based CO2 emissions by 30-40%.
The press release article can be found here.