Morning, Thursday, 23rd October 2025
Online
This conference will discuss the way forward for decarbonisation of the UK maritime sector.
We expect discussion to focus on implementation of the Government’s Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy, examining strategic and practical issues in moving the domestic maritime sector towards net zero. The agenda also looks at developments including the expansion of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to domestic maritime from July 2026, the International Maritime Organisation’s global shipping emissions agreement to introduce international penalties from 2028, and the recently announced £30m in innovation funding for Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition 6.
It will bring together key stakeholders and policymakers to discuss implications of the strategy and practicalities for advancing its key pillars, including fuel regulation, port readiness, emissions pricing, and energy efficiency - as well as targeted measures for smaller vessels.
Areas for discussion include regulatory coordination, economic factors, infrastructure readiness, and priorities for the workforce, including reskilling and targeted training for port and maritime roles. We also expect discussion on possible financial support mechanisms to manage compliance costs fairly, as well as issues raised around the distributional impact on smaller operators, and the readiness of UK ports for alternative fuel bunkering, including ammonia and hydrogen.
Sessions will examine implications of recent developments for operators of different sizes and profiles, including large shipping companies, ports, fishing fleets, and operators of smaller vessels such as coastal and island services such as ferries. Options for addressing compliance costs and facilitating the use of alternative fuels will also be assessed, including bridge technologies such as hybrid propulsion and retrofit pathways, alongside interim options - as well as phasing and sequencing to avoid disproportionate impacts on smaller operators. Attendees will consider whether proposed targets from the Government and International Maritime Organisation go far enough in decarbonisation of the sector, looking also at further options.
Considerations for addressing first-mover risks for operators will also be looked at, in areas such as fuel infrastructure implementation, financing and insurance for new fuels, and the conclusion of early-stage funding streams.
Further sessions will examine tensions between domestic UK measures and international frameworks, particularly around the alignment of timing and competitive impacts. Consideration is expected on what will be required to support the commercial deployment of clean vessels, particularly in areas where zero-emission solutions remain technically or economically challenging to achieve, following the conclusion of the International Green Corridor Fund in March.
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those due to attend include officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Department for Energy Security and Net Zero; Department for Transport; Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, NI; Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology; National Infrastructure Commission; Department of Transport, ROI; and the Welsh Government.
