Image: Credit: NatPower Marine
Partnership between Peel Ports and NatPower Marine aims to provide charging infastructure for ships at eight ports in the UK and Ireland
NatPower Marine and Peel Ports Group have unveiled plans to establish a series of green shipping corridors between the UK and Ireland that would enable the roll out of a fleet of electric vessels.
This morning, NatPower Marine, a subsidiary of NatPower Group, announced plans to invest more than £100m in an e-ship charging network that would span eight ports on both sides of the Irish Sea.
The first green shipping corridor routes identified by the partners are between Belfast and the port of Heysham in Lancashire and between Dublin and Birkenhead in Merseyside.
On top of enabling electric propulsion at sea, the clean energy infrastructure would also give ship operators the option to connect to clean electricity supplies when docked through a process known as cold ironing, which would help to curb emissions and air pollution in port.
Emissions produced whilst ships are berthed at port as they run auxiliary engines for power are responsible for roughly a sixth of the shipping industry's greenhouse gas footprint and can have a significant impact on the local environment and communities.
Claudio Veritiero, CEO at Peel Ports Group, hailed the proposals as "potentially game changing" and a major step forward in the company's plan to become a "net zero port operator" by 2040.
"We look forward to working closely with NatPower Marine to explore the possibilities for establishing the first green shipping corridor between the UK and Ireland, and further enabling support for our customers, shipping lines and hauliers as they transition to a greener future," he said.
The blueprint published this morning also sets out plans for NatPower Marine to invest in charging infrastructure for electric cars, vans, and HGVs at the eight ports.
The partners noted that more than 3,000 vessels cross the Irish Sea each year, emitting hundreds of thousands of tonnes and CO2 and tens of thousands of tonnes of nitrous oxide and sulphur oxide.
"With marine trade set to triple by 2050, we urgently need to build the global network of clean energy charging infrastructure the industry desperately needs," said Stefano Sommadossi, CEO at NatPower Marine. "Our partnership with Peel Ports Group is the first step in this strategic approach to accelerate the adoption of clean energy in shipping and help cargo owners to reach net zero."
Sommadossi said the investment in charging infrastructure would help accelerate decarbonisation of shipping, by enabling the uptake of zero emission vessels.
"NatPower Marine is investing to deploy the largest global network of charging points to help solve the chicken and egg conundrum facing this industry: shipping lines cannot electrify their vessels if port charging infrastructure is not available, and ports are unable to raise capital for charging infrastructure without certainty of demand from shipping lines," he said.
The project is part of a global programme with NatPower Marine aiming to spend £3bn on developing a charging network at 120 port locations around the world.
