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Uk Shipping News

08 Oct 2025

UK's First Electric Sightseeing Vessel, Powered by VULKAN UK, Takes to the Thames

© VULKAN UK

VULKAN UK has provided the electrical design expertise and power profiles that enables the Silver Raven, the UK’s first fully electric sightseeing vessel, to begin operation in autumn 2025.Commissioned by Woods Tours, designed by One2Three Naval Architects, and built at Pendennis Shipyard in Cornwall, the 39-meter Silver Raven will carry up to 250 passengers per voyage. The vessel will navigate London’s central waterways, demonstrating that large-scale passenger operations can…

25 Sep 2025

Compute Maritime Spearheads AI-Driven Crew Transfer Vessel Project in UK

(Credit: Compute Maritime)

Compute Maritime, a London-based deep tech company and the developer of the world’s first generative AI tool for ship design, has taken charge of the U.K.-funded GenDSOM project to develop the next generation crew transfer vessel (CTV) with generative AI and additive manufacturing.The $940,000 (£700,000) project is funded by the UK Government’s Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition program, and aside from Compute Maritime, brings together Siemens Digital Industries Software…

30 Jul 2025

Hydrofoiling Ferry Could Prevent Seasonal Travel Disruption at Isles of Scilly

Source: Artemis Technologies

Artemis Technologies is leading a feasibility study on the establishment of a new ferry service between Newlyn in Cornwall and St Mary’s in the Isles of Scilly, around 30 miles off the southwestern tip of Cornwall, England, in the Atlantic Ocean.The study will assess the technical and commercial viability of deploying the Artemis EF-24 Passenger, a 100% electric, high-speed hydrofoil ferry, to provide a reliable, year-round passenger and cargo service on a route where no winter…

09 Jul 2025

E-CTV Aces Tryouts at Scottish Offshore Wind Farm

Artemis eFoiler CTV (Credit: Atemis Technologies)

Artemis Technologies has demonstrated its latest electric crew transfer vessel (E-CTV) at Vattenfall's Aberdeen offshore wind farm, in partnership with Vattenfall, Tidal Transit, Lloyd's Register and the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult.The technical demonstration of a dual propulsion, 100% electric Artemis EF-12 CTV at an operational offshore wind farm marks a major milestone, showcasing the culmination of research, design and development over a number of years.Vattenfall…

21 May 2025

Industry Partners Unveil Next-Gen Floating Wind Installation Vessel Design

The future FLOW Installation Vessel Design (Credit: Morek Engineering)

A consortium based in South West England, led by Morek Engineering, has unveiled its design concept for a new vessel class for the floating offshore wind (FLOW) market, having completed the first feasibility stage.Consortium partners include naval architects Solis Marine Engineering, innovation specialists Tope Ocean, marine operations specialists First Marine Solutions and Celtic Sea Power.The future FLOW Installation Vessel (FFIV) design incorporates low-carbon fuels providing fuel efficiency advantages…

08 May 2025

UK Companies Achieve Bidirectional Charging for Electric Vessels

Representatives of the DfT, Innovate UK & University of Plymouth with the RS Pulse 63. Credit: Aqua superPower

Aqua superPower unveiled its bidirectional charging technology at the University of Plymouth, marking their demonstration debut of Virtual Bunkering for Electric Vessels (VBEV). This pioneering showcase represented an important step towards the wide scale adoption of electric boats, supported by Vessel-to-Grid infrastructure.Bidirectional charging not only enables electric boats to charge efficiently but also allows boat owners to discharge their batteries and return surplus energy to the grid when the boats are not in use.

30 Apr 2024

Bibby Marine Places Order for ‘World’s First’ eCSOV

(Credit: Bibby Marine)

Bibby Marine has signed a shipbuilding contract with Gondan Shipbuilders to construct what is said to be the world’s first zero-emission, electric commissioning service operation vessel (eCSOV).The eCSOV will be built in Gondan’s Asturias shipyard in Spain and is scheduled to be delivered in 2026.Designed in collaboration with UK-based ship designers Longitude, the eCSOV, will feature a powerful battery system, complemented by dual-fuel methanol engines for emissions-free operations.

29 Jan 2024

First Low-Carbon Floating Wind Installation Vessel Gets UK Funding

(Credit: Morek Engineering)

The UK government has awarded funding to a consortium led by Morek Engineering to design a new class of low-carbon installation vessel for the floating offshore wind market.The consortium, which includes Morek Engineering, Solis Marine Engineering, Tope Ocean, First Marine Solutions and Celtic Sea Power, won the funding through the UK Government’s Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition.The outline vessel design will be ready for engagement with classification societies to achieve…

17 Oct 2022

HydroMAR-E Named Winner of Dft's Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition Round 2

(Image: BMT)

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…

13 Oct 2022

MariLight Project Aims to 'Clean Up' Maritime Manufacturing

Image courtesy Malin Marine Consultants

Malin Marine Consultants were awarded support through the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) for its MariLight project, a project that seeks to develop new processes for building marine components using Large Scale Additive Manufacturing (LSAM) technology.The project aims to provide the industry with a clear route to using LSAM for certified and approved component fabrication, moving from conventional, manual fabrication processes to an automated and flexible rapid manufacturing route.

07 Oct 2022

Oliver Named Interim Head of UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency

Damien Oliver (Photo: MCA)

Damien Oliver has been appointed as the interim Chief Executive of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). Damien will begin his new role on Monday 17 October, which follows the current MCA Chief Executive Brian Johnson’s retirement.Chairman and board member Christopher Rodrigues said, “Damien has had a number of high-profile roles within the MCA since joining in 2001 and he will bring a wealth of maritime experience and knowledge. Damien has been responsible for major projects and programs…

14 Jun 2022

Cox Marine to Focus on Hydrogen @ Seawork

ABP Southampton patrol RIB. Image courtesy COX

At Seawork 2022 British diesel technology innovator Cox Marine will showcase its CXO300 diesel outboard with demos available on a Cox-powered RIB, and it will present too insights on the development of its next-gen hydrogen-based marine propulsion systems.James Eatwell, Head of Research and Development, Cox Marine, will present at Get Set to Workboat 2050 on behalf of SHAPE UK as part of a line-up of expert speakers in a session entitled ‘Hydrogen & Clean Growth Opportunities’.Cox Marine is partnering with SHAPE UK (Shipping…

10 Mar 2022

UK to Invest $5.26B in Shipbuilding Sector

Illustration only - Credit:Richard Johnson/AdobeStock

The UK plans to give a boost to the country's shipbuilding sector, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson announcing a £4 billion (around $5.26 billion) injection into regional shipbuilding "to support thousands of high-quality jobs."The PM's office said in an announcement Thursday that funding will support shipyards and suppliers across the UK, delivering a pipeline of more than 150 new naval and civil vessels.The multi-billion pound investment will galvanize and support shipyards and suppliers across the UK…

09 Feb 2022

ICS Announces Decarbonization Summit

© GreenOak / Adobe Stock

Maritime trade group the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) announced plans to host a high-level summit to address the challenge of decarbonization.Responding to a challenge thrown down by industry leaders in Glasgow, during COP26, ICS will work with partners to convene shipowners, ministers, maritime, energy and infrastructure leaders with the challenge of bringing forward a tangible path to decarbonize the sector. The closed-door meeting will be held in London the day after a dinner on June 20…

28 Oct 2021

Finance: UK Shakes-up its Shipping Tax to Attract Global Players

© Voyagerix/AdobeStock

In an attempt to bring more international shipping firms onshore to the UK, the British chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak provided the biggest shake-up to the UK’s domestic tonnage tax since its introduction 20 years ago.The British government explained that In order for global shipping companies to benefit from paying less tax, there are two routes for companies to benefit: they can either show that they are investing in the net carbon zero transition, or they need to be…

14 Jul 2020

Widow of Bangladeshi Shipbreaking Worker Free to Sue Maran

© katiekk2 / Adobe Stock

A Bangladeshi woman whose husband died while dismantling an oil tanker at a shipbreaking yard in 2018 can file a negligence claim against a British company involved in the vessel’s sale, London’s High Court ruled this week.Khalil Mollah, 32, fell to his death while working on a tanker called the EKTA in the port city of Chattogram in southeastern Bangladesh, where scores of end-of-life ships are sent to be scrapped each year.British lawyers representing his widow, Hamida Begum, took her case to court in April 2019, arguing that Maran (UK) Ltd was responsible for the ship ending up in Banglades

30 Dec 2019

Shipping Industry Brings $25Bn to UK Economy

The UK shipping industry brings in a remarkable GBP 19 billion (USD 25Bln) to our economy, an increase of 41% from 2010, and directly supports 181,000 jobs, UK Chamber of Shipping said quoting a new report from the Center for Economics and Business Research (Cebr). The Chamber, which represents nearly 200 members, and works with Government, parliament and international organisations to champion and protect the industry, welcomed the report.Chief Executive of the UK Chamber of Shipping, Bob Sanguinetti, said: “We all know what an incredible shipping industry we have in the UK, and now we have the numbers to prove it."Sanguinetti added: "Bringing in nearly £19 billion to our economy and supporting 181,000 jobs, the shipping industry really is the backbone to communities across the UK.

19 Jun 2019

High Level Meet on Piracy in Gulf of Guinea

A high-level meeting on piracy and armed robbery in the Gulf of Guinea held at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) head office in London, was attended by the shipping community, Flag States, seafarer groups and maritime agencies, including International Maritime Bureau (IMB).The symposium has shone the spotlight on the need for urgent action to ensure the safety and security of seafarers transiting the region.Discussion were animated, but all gathered were in consensus as to the outcome, which is to identify actions that will reduce the risks posed to seafarers and shipping, and to make crew kidnappings ‘history’.Dr. Grahaeme Henderson…

10 Jun 2019

Piracy Threat Persists in Gulf of Guinea

Concerns raised by various industry bodies were supported by figures from the International Maritime Bureau showing that the number of attacks in the Gulf of Guinea region had doubled in 2018.There has also been a marked increase towards kidnapping for ransom and armed robbery incidents.Members of the shipping community, Flag States and Agencies from Gulf of Guinea gathered at the Headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for a day-long symposium on Maritime Security in the Gulf of Guinea. The event, co-sponsored by BIMCO, IMCA, ICS, ITF and OCIMF, featured speakers from regional maritime agencies as well as shipping officials, academics and military staff.

01 Nov 2018

UK Funds Study on Navigation of Autonomous Ships

The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO), a government agency has contributed to a new UK government-funded study on navigational requirements for autonomous maritime vessels.According to UKHO, it worked together with partner organisations L3 ASV and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) to identify the future data requirements for autonomous shipping, and explore how navigational and wider geospatial data can be used to enable the safe navigation of smart and unmanned autonomous vessels.The study, funded by the Department for Transport’s Transport Technology Research Innovation Grant (T-TRIG), started by exploring the characteristics of current navigational data and charts in terms of what they comprise, their structure and how they are updated.

24 Oct 2018

UK Shipping Tech to be Worth USD 16.5 bln by 2030

UK shipping technology sector will grow to become a GBP 12.8 billion (USD 16.5 bln ) market by 2030 from the current level of  GBP 3.7 billion, revealed a study.A new report commissioned by UK venture fund and think-tank PUBLIC estimated the growth will be fuelled largely by digitalisation of the industry, with technologies such as big data, blockchain, and artificial intelligence creating a new market for digitally enabled maritime services.For the purposes of this report,  shipping technology is defined as the technology that can be applied to make maritime trade processes more efficient and reduce bottlenecks in the flow of goods around the world. For the purposes of market-sizing, this means digital and IT spend (though not exclusively).

07 Aug 2018

Australia Opens Up Opportunities for UK Shipping

A major investment in new frigates and submarines by the Australian government has created long-term opportunities for UK and European businesses with relevant intellectual property and expertise, said Moore Stephens. This summer the Australian government awarded UK firm BAE Systems a contract to build nine next-generation frigates – known as the ‘Future Frigates’ project – worth A$35 billion, said a research report written by Moore Stephens' Michael Simms & Grant Miles.The programme, which will run for over 20 years, will create around 4,000 direct Australian jobs and give a particular boost to South Australia and the shipyards of Port Adelaide. Construction of the frigates is scheduled to begin in Adelaide from 2020, with the first vessels delivered in 2027 and the last by 2042.

27 Apr 2018

Schneider Electric Supports UK Shipping and Port Industry

By plugging into the power grid with 100 per cent renewable electricity and turning off their diesel engines, ships at berth in the UK would reduce emissions equivalent to 84,000 to 166,000 diesel buses – or 1.2 million diesel cars representative of the current UK fleet. The pressure is mounting for the UK to align with EU air pollution emission targets, and ships at berth need to cut their fuel consumption and port authorities and terminal operators need to integrate shore power capabilities in a simpler and more efficient way. Schneider Electric supports decarbonisation through its business efforts, this has led to a sponsored study into the emissions from idling ships at berth in UK ports that affects the quality of the air we breathe.