IBIA joins UK-backed consortium to advance skills for low-carbon maritime fuels

We are thrilled to share that IBIA is part of a collaborative consortium that has been awarded funding through the UK Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition for its Skills 4 Future Maritime Fuels initiative.

It’s an exciting opportunity to partner with University of Plymouth, DFDS, ship.energy, and the British Ports Association on this project, which aims to tackle a critical challenge in the maritime industry’s energy transition: enhancing the skills of the workforce, both on ships, within ports, and across the entire fuel supply chain to safely adopt low- and zero-carbon fuels, while adhering to both national and international regulatory standards.

Alexander Prokopakis, IBIA’s Executive Director of IBIA, commented: ‘IBIA is proud to be part of this forward-looking initiative, which directly supports the safe and effective transition to low- and zero-carbon marine fuels. As the global voice of the marine fuels industry, we are committed to driving skills development across the sector. Equipping both onboard and onshore professionals with the knowledge and competencies required to navigate the complexities of the energy transition is essential. This project reflects our commitment to practical, regulatory-aligned solutions and collaborative industry progress on decarbonisation.’

About UK SHORE:

The Skills 4 Future Maritime Fuels project is funded by UK Government through the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) programme in the Department for Transport. UK SHORE has allocated over £230m since 2022 to over 247 projects, leveraging over £107m private investment. Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innova tion, is the main delivery partner for UK SHORE interventions, including the flagship CMDC and ZEVI competitions.

Maritime is a key sector which needs to find innovative solutions to its carbon footprint in order to contribute to the UK’s decarbonisation agenda. The UK SHORE programme is a key part of that work, supporting research and development to unlock an industry-led transition towards Net Zero and deliver economic growth, in line with the Government’s missions and the Plan for Change.

The UK SHORE programme consists of multiple headline projects situated all across the UK from Belfast and Orkney to Cornwall and Portsmouth and all points in between – showcasing the exceptional, highly-skilled work being delivered throughout the UK economy. UK SHORE is supporting 500 organisations, unlocking investment potential in UK technologies, at UK ports and at UK shipyards.