Zero emission developers set course for Scottish shipbuilding revival

Scottish marine engineering company Malin Newbuild has this week announced that it is partnering with Wiltshire-based Smart Green Shipping on a ground-breaking project to slash emissions across the shipping sector.

The company said it was hoping to demonstrate how a vessel powered by a combination of wind and renewable energy could lead to a revival of civil shipbuilding in Glasgow. 

Malin Newbuild is currently working with Smart Green Shipping to develop plans for a full-scale, 40 metre high prototype for the FastRig technology that could be showcased at the COP26 Climate Summit in Goasgow next November.

Smart Green Shipping has also been in discussions with the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise about funding the demonstrator's construction.

"We believe there is a real opportunity here for Scotland to be at the forefront of rapidly developing innovation," said Malin Newbuild director Ben Sharples. "Our work so far on FastRig has convinced us of its potential.  We are currently working with Smart Green Shipping to develop the concept with a view to delivering a full-scale, 40-metre-high test-rig that can be showcased to the world when COP-26, the UN's climate change conference, comes to Glasgow."

The retrofitted demonstrator vessel would be partially powered by wind - with the intention to integrate other renewable energy sources, including green hydrogen, into future designs. 

A feasibility analysis of the design supported by the government-backed Innovate UK agency suggested that retrofitting FastRigs to an existing 63,000-tonne bulk carrier could deliver annual fuel and emissions savings of 20 per cent, delivering payback for ship operators within three to five years.

"Shipping is the world's sixth-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases," said Smart Green Shipping's founder, Diane Gilpin. "There are 60,000 vessels in the world running on heavy fuel oil which represents two-thirds of operating costs. That is unsustainable. China is well advanced on retrofitting ships with wind-assist technologies and has just started on fully optimised newbuilds. Norway is also very active in zero-emission solutions for shipping. 

"We think there is a real chance for Scotland, with its engineering abilities and shipbuilding history, to be at the forefront of this transition." 

Gilpin said it would cost around £6m to get a demonstrator in the water. "There are a lot of people interested but are reluctant to take the first step," she added. "No matter how much computer modelling you can show, there is an understandable desire to see that the technology actually works."

The news comes in the same week as Business Secretary Alok Sharma visited the Belfast-based consortium of businesses led by Artemis Technologies that is working on plans to develop zero emissions ferries.

The project recently secured a £33m grant through the Strength in Places Fund run by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

"It was a pleasure to host the Secretary of State in Belfast to showcase our plans to make the city, and the UK, the global lead in zero emissions maritime technology," said Iain Percy, CEO of Artemis Technologies, a spin-off from competitive sailing team Artemis Racing. "Along with our consortium partners, we took the opportunity to provide a detailed brief to the Minister on our plans to foster a newly resurgent maritime cluster in Northern Ireland that could create hundreds of jobs over the coming years."

The Belfast Maritime Consortium project, which is backed by close to £60m of investment over the next four years, is set to create an initial 125 research and development jobs with a view to creating more than 1,000 jobs in the region over the next decade.

The group, which includes engineering giant Bombardier and local universities - is working on plans to pioneer a "totally unique" electric hydrofoil propulsion system that could slash energy use by up to 90 per cent and enable the development of zero emission farriers capable of carrying 350 passengers.

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• Topics
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• Scotland
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• Cleantech
• fuel efficiency
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• COP26