TO BE PUBLISHED October 2026
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This conference will examine next steps for maritime decarbonisation. It takes place in the context of developing UK and international policy and regulation, and as the sector makes long-term choices on vessels, fuels and infrastructure. Areas for discussion include carbon pricing and international co-ordination, investment and infrastructure, alternative fuels and emerging technologies, near-term emissions reduction, and implications for different parts of the maritime sector.
It will bring together stakeholders with policy makers to discuss next steps following the inclusion of domestic maritime in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme, alongside implementation of the Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy and continuing international negotiations on the IMO Net-Zero Framework. Delegates will assess the early operation and practical impact of these measures, including the incentives, costs and compliance requirements they create, and their implications for investment and operational decisions across the sector.
The agenda will also consider the achievability of the 2030, 2040 and 2050 emissions reduction targets within existing timescales, taking account of vessel replacement cycles, infrastructure lead times, fuel availability and commercial viability. Implications will be examined for different operators, ports, passenger and freight services, technology and fuel suppliers, investors, workers, customers and coastal communities, including how responsibilities and transition costs should be distributed.
Further sessions will assess evidence and proposals arising from the calls for evidence on Net zero ports: challenges and opportunities and Decarbonising smaller vessels. We expect discussion on priorities for co-ordination with UK energy, industrial and transport policy, funding and regulatory arrangements, and the scope for alternative approaches where questions remain around the potential of existing measures to address barriers to investment, deployment or emissions reduction.
Finance, infrastructure & modernisation
Delegates will examine the scale, sequencing and financing of investment across port upgrades, vessel retrofit and low and zero-emission fuel supply chains. We expect discussion on the contribution of existing programmes, as well as the practical and commercial barriers to moving from demonstration projects to wider deployment.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- funding mechanisms:
- the contribution of UK SHORE, the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition and Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure funding
- priorities as projects move from innovation and early deployment towards commercial use
- investment considerations:
- availability and cost of capital - policy and delivery risk - clarity needed to support long-term decisions beyond existing funding programmes
- risks of delayed or fragmented development - stranded assets and premature commitment to fuels or technologies that may not achieve wider adoption
- net zero ports: shore power, electrification, grid capacity and energy integration - differing infrastructure requirements between ports and services
- coordination and delivery: roles of ports, shipping operators, energy providers, local authorities and planning bodies - planning, consenting, financing and delivery responsibilities
- costs of transition:
- respective roles of operators, customers, investors and public funding
- implications for freight rates, passenger fares, lifeline services and operators with limited capacity to absorb additional costs
- supply chains: readiness for vessel technologies, fuel production and infrastructure delivery - implications for UK shipbuilding, coastal economies and regional growth
- workforce: emerging skills and capacity requirements - safety and technical standards - priorities for training frameworks
UK Emissions Trading Scheme & international alignment
The conference will provide an early opportunity to assess the operation of the UK ETS for domestic maritime following its introduction in July 2026. Discussion will examine its practical impact on operators and other parties responsible for compliance, alongside the potential implications of future expansion and interaction with European and international measures.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- initial implementation: scope, thresholds and exemptions - monitoring, reporting and verification readiness - administrative responsibilities and compliance costs
- carbon-pricing incentives: impact on operating, route and fleet decisions - extent to which operators have access to viable emissions-reduction options
- cost and distributional effects: implications for freight rates, passenger fares and wider logistics costs - how costs are passed between operators, customers and other parties
- scheme performance: evidence from early operation - effectiveness in encouraging emissions reduction and investment - potential priorities for refinement as practical experience develops
- international voyages: potential extension of the UK ETS - implications for routes, services and operators with different domestic and international profiles
- relationship with Europe: interaction with the EU ETS and FuelEU Maritime - cumulative regulatory and reporting requirements - competitiveness, carbon leakage and route diversion
- IMO Net-Zero Framework: continuing negotiations on a global fuel standard and greenhouse gas pricing mechanism - implications of uncertainty over its final form and timetable
- international co-ordination:
- consistency and sequencing across UK, European and global regimes - avoiding unnecessary duplication and conflicting requirements
- implications for regulatory clarity and long-term investment
Alternative fuels, emerging technology & near-term emissions reduction
The planned agenda will assess the evidence for competing maritime decarbonisation pathways and how operators, ports and investors can make long-term decisions amid uncertainty over future fuels, infrastructure, regulation and technology. It will also consider the contribution and limitations of measures capable of reducing emissions while low and zero-emission fuel systems are developed.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- alternative fuels: viability of hydrogen, ammonia, methanol, biofuels and electrification - comparative costs, safety, lifecycle emissions, technical readiness and vessel suitability
- fuel availability: production capacity, distribution, bunkering and charging infrastructure - readiness of ports, energy networks, workforces and supply chains
- technology choices: differing requirements across vessel types, routes and operating models - retrofit needs and implications for vessel replacement decisions
- future demand: uncertainty over which fuels will achieve wider adoption - implications for infrastructure planning and long-term commercial investment
- transitional pathways: possible role and limitations of transitional fuels - risks of emissions lock-in and stranded assets
- co-ordinated investment: interdependence between vessels, ports, fuel producers and energy providers - approaches to addressing the risk that each part of the market waits for others to commit
- near-term measures:
- operational efficiency, voyage optimisation, slow steaming, wind-assisted propulsion and digital technologies
- potential contribution and practical constraints relating to routes, schedules and service requirements
- research and development: scaling technologies from demonstration to commercial use - the role of the Maritime Innovation Hub - collaboration, standards, barriers to uptake and routes to market
- policy and market support: funding and commercial arrangements for early deployment - evidence and policy signals needed to support informed technology and investment decisions
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 already due to attend include a parliamentary pass-holder from the House of Commons and 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; Environment Agency; Health and Safety Executive; Maritime and Coastguard Agency; Ministry of Defence; and the Welsh Government.
