Innovate Uk News

The world’s first dedicated innovation centre for floating offshore wind has opened in Scotland.Located in the heart of Aberdeen’s Energy Transition Zone, ORE Catapult’s £9 million National Floating Wind Innovation Centre (FLOWIC), delivered in collaboration with ETZ Limited, is designed to help supercharge the development of floating offshore wind technology in the UK, with funding from both the Scottish Government and Innovate UK.Floating offshore wind represents a huge economic opportunity…

ABB has secured an order with Portsmouth International Port to supply a shore connection solution for visiting ferries and cruise ships as part of the UK port’s Sea Change project.Shore connection allows visiting ferries and cruise ships to avoid emissions by connecting to the shoreside electrical grid while in port, supporting the Portsmouth’s port aim to be the first in the UK to be zero emissions by 2030.The initiative is part of the port’s Sea Change project to design, build…

Tidal Transit, a supplier of purpose-design crew transfer vessels for the offshore wind industry, has begun the design and engineering phase of a project to deliver what is said to be the world’s first retrofit electric crew transfer vessel (E-CTV).Over the next 15 months, Tidal Transit will retrofit a diesel-powered Mercurio 20-meter vessel, Ginny Louise, with over two megawatt-hours (MWh) of battery capacity, electric motors and propulsion pods.The finished product, e-Ginny…

Cummins is working with partners in the U.K. to develop and deploy a methanol conversion kit for an engine aboard an Ocean Infinity offshore support vessel (OSV) as the maritime industry works toward transitioning to cleaner fuels.The engine manufacturer announced its proposal to jointly develop a Methanol Kit for its QSK60 engine was selected to receive funding as part of the Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure (ZEVI) competition, funded by the U.K. government and delivered…

Port of Aberdeen said Thursday it had been awarded funding from the UK Government for a multi-million-pound project to design and deliver the first large-scale landside and vessel-side shore power system in Scotland."The demonstrator project will cut vessel emissions at the berths by more than 80% compared with burning marine fuel and save in excess of 60,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent over the next 20 years," Port of Aberdeen said.Crucially, the port said, ‘Shore Power in Operation’ will pave the way for the roll-out of green shore power across North Harbour.

Artemis Technologies on Thursday announced what it described as "the latest evolution" of the Artemis EF-12 Crew Transfer Vessel (CTV) and daughter craft, featuring a revitalized design that, the company says, raises the bar for crew comfort and operational excellence during offshore missions."The Artemis EF-12 CTV has been designed for everyday crew transfer operations, providing seamless transportation for personnel between port or vessel and offshore installations," Artemis Technologies said.Key Enhancements of the Revitalised Artemis EF-12 CTV…

Carisbrooke Shipping Ltd have partnered with CARNOT whose consortium has been awarded £2.3 million to develop a zero-emission 50kW hydrogen auxiliary engine demonstrator under Innovate UK Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition.Following design, simulations and testing, the single-fuel hydrogen 50kW engine will be integrated into a containerized system and mounted on the deck of one of Carisbrooke Shipping's cargo vessels, Karen C, for a 40-day sea trial in early 2025 to partially supply electrical power to the vessel.The core goal is to validate the decarbonizing impact that high efficiency, zero-emission engines can have in the maritime industry and build on work from the previously successful CMDC 1 & 2 grants…

Vessel designer Chartwell Marine has won of a £320,000 Innovate UK Smart Grant which will enable Chartwell and consortium partners — Boat Electric & Electronics and Engineered Marine Systems — to develop and test the feasibility of "a market-first" methanol-fuelled vessel design, with applications in the offshore wind, commercial workboat, and leisure sectors."Methanol fuel presents a significant opportunity to decarbonise in a maritime industry which is confronted with the debate over sustainable fuel alternatives, as it can be produced from biomass and can carry a near-zero carbon footprint.

The UK Government has granted Port of Aberdeen more than £200,000 in funding to accelerate the port’s drive to Net Zero by 2040.The ‘Port Zero’ feasibility study, which is part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition Round 2 (CMDC2), will analyse future port power demands, assess low carbon energy sources for equipment (e.g., cranes, tugs, pilot boats) and quayside infrastructure, and develop a roadmap to decarbonise port operations.The study – which is being delivered in partnership with Energy Systems Catapult…

A new pathway toward a low-emission and ultimately a zero-emission future in shipping has recently been opened up through the market introduction of a mono-fuel Hydrogen version of the Recuperated Split Cycle Engine.The HydroMAR-E project is part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition Round 2 (CMDC2) which was launched in May 2022, funded by the Department for Transport and delivered in partnership with Innovate UK. As part of the CMDC2, the Department allocated over…

Global controls technology company Proserv has acquired a minority stake in Glasgow-based power system monitoring expert, Synaptec, with whom it had initially formed a strategic alliance in October 2020 to drive forward the innovation of disruptive condition-monitoring technologies for the energy sector.Synaptec was developed as a spin-out business from Strathclyde University in 2014 with its management team, Board of Directors, and Advisory Board comprising former leaders from the power sector…

ION Geophysical Corporation announced its climate-smart, digital platform, Marlin SmartPort, has successfully fulfilled its role to help monitor greenhouse gas emissions in the Data-Led Emissions Management (D-LEMA) project.The D-LEMA project is part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) launched in March 2021, funded by the Department for Transport, and delivered in partnership with Innovate UK. As part of the CMDC, the Department allocated more than £23 million…

Ocean Infinity won The Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition, enabling it and its partners to build a Marine Propulsion Test facility, with an integrated Ammonia Marine Propulsion System (AMPS). The test facility is intended to demonstrate clean-fueled technology eventually capable of powering Ocean Infinity’s Armada fleet, using an innovative ammonia based fuel cell system.“Winning The Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition is a significant step forward in the delivery of a zero emissions marine propulsion system," said Dan Hook, Ocean Infinity’s CTO.

A study, led by maritime design and applied technologies company Artemis Technologies has been awarded £533,000 to investigate transformative solutions to decarbonize crew transfer vessel (CTV) operations in the offshore wind sector.The grant, announced at London International Shipping Week, has been awarded as part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition funded by the Department for Transport and delivered in partnership with Innovate UK.Artemis Technologies is partnering with CTV owner and operator Tidal Transit…

SEA-KIT, a company designing and building Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USVs), has won funding to install a PCB-based hydrogen fuel cell, engineered by Bramble Energy, on its 12m USV ‘Maxlimer’ and demonstrate zero-emission maritime operations.SEA-KIT secured the grant through the recent Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) – Strand 2 in the UK funded by the Department for Transport (DfT) working with InnovateUK.The project will showcase a successful diesel to hydrogen…

The UK-based Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult has said it has secured funding for five projects as part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition, funded by the Department for Transport and delivered in partnership with Innovate UK.Fifty-five projects successfully secured £23m funding as part of the Competition, announced at an event during London International Shipping Week by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.ORE Catapult is either leading or is a consortium partner in five of those projects, totaling £3.3m in funding awarded.

The HEVIMA Innovate UK co-funded project, led by REAPsystems, will be demonstrating its innovative modular hybrid propulsion at an event in Falmouth on Wednesday 22nd May 2019. This new system will potentially offer significant savings in fuel, engine power rating, weight and emissions, as well as reduced noise and vibration for commercial vessels up to 250kw.The HEVIMA system is designed to outperform the efficiency and emission levels of existing hybrid systems for the small…

A consortium, led by Bowman Power Group Ltd has created a new, marine-capable system designed to increase engine efficiency and reduce emissions.According to Bowman, the timing of this technology couldn't be better, coming just months after the International Maritime Organization (IMO) reached an agreement to cut carbon emissions from the global shipping industry by at least half by 2050.The project was part-funded by Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency, and a leading research and innovation hub.

As the global fleet of offshore renewables fleet increases, ways to reduce the cost and increase the efficiency and safety of operations and maintenance work, using robotics and autonomous systems, will also grow. Elaine Maslin reports.Robotics and autonomous systems are moving into many areas of modern day life. It’s becoming harder to avoid them, from our phones to automotive systems and now offshore energy renewable projects.Both are seen as tools to do otherwise dull, dirty or dangerous work…

U.S. conglomerate General Electric will test the world's largest wind turbine in a facility in northeast England, it said on Tuesday. GE Renewable Energy, the renewable arm of the U.S. firm, and the British government-funded Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult signed a five-year agreement to test GE's Haliade-X 12 megawatt (MW) turbine in Blyth, Northumberland. "This is an important agreement because it will enable us to prove Haliade-X in a faster way by putting it under controlled and extreme conditions," John Lavelle, president & CEO of GE's Offshore Wind business said in a statement. Britain is aiming to be a leader in offshore wind technology and its capacity could grow by five times current levels to 30 gigawatts by 2030…

Merseyside shipyard and engineering services company Cammell Laird has won a £1.5 million tender with Innovate UK to develop electron beam welding technology in the shipbuilding, offshore and nuclear sectors.Cammell Laird will act as primary contractor to test the equipment at its Birkenhead site using its team of welders and engineers, together with partners TWI Limited which will provide research, and support in welding codes and standards. The third partner, Cambridge Vacuum Engineering will manufacture the electron beam machine.John Eldridge…

First meeting of the clean maritime council who will make the plan for a zero emissions UK maritime sector was held yesterday  (15 October 2018).Minister for Maritime Nusrat Ghani opened the first meeting of the Clean Maritime Council, which will devise a strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the sector to improve air quality on and around our waterways, ports and shipping lanes.The government is clear on the need for action on emissions from shipping. Air pollution is the fourth greatest threat to public health after cancer, heart disease and obesity. In 2016, domestic shipping accounted for 11% of the country’s nitrogen oxide emissions.The Council has an important role in addressing these issues…

ASV Global (ASV) is leading a new £1.2 million research project in partnership with BMT to enhance the safety and reliability of autonomous navigation. The project team will use deep learning machine vision systems trained with a combination of simulated and real world data. Part funded by Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency, this project will enhance situational awareness enabling the USV to operate in extreme and congested marine environments. The Synthetic Imagery training for Machine Vision in Extreme Environments (SIMVEE) project will build upon ASV’s existing, COLREG cognisant, autonomous collision avoidance and path planning capability. The project will use BMT’s REMBRANDT simulator to train and validate ASV Global’s vision algorithms to detect and classify objects at sea.