That was the message from the first day of the inaugural Maritime UK Solent Coastal Summit conference held at ABP Southampton\u2019s Ocean Cruise Terminal from 26 to 27 March 2025. <\/p>\n
And it was a timely discussion following the launch of the new UK Government Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy<\/a> this week. There was plenty to talk about. <\/p>\n A changing world <\/strong><\/p>\n Alastair Welch, port director, ABP Southampton, opened the summit by talking about the Solent as the heart of the UK maritime sector. <\/p>\n But the challenge he said is to meet decarbonisation targets and stay ahead of the competition. <\/p>\n \u201cThe world is changing and we have to innovate and adapt. We have to work hard to keep our customers,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n \u201cFor both cruise and containers space is a challenge. World politics have changed trade. For example, the Red Sea issues means that ships now come directly to the UK from Singapore, meaning they are bigger and heavier.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cSecurity consents are taking too long and we risk becoming uncompetitive. World events could leave us behind if we\u2019re not careful.\u201d <\/p>\n Mr Welch said that sustainability is not going to go away but presently operators are not being funded or incentivised as they are in Europe and therein lies a challenge. <\/p>\n Consequently, ABP Southampton has worked hard to decarbonise under its own steam and now generates half of its power using solar. It\u2019s also had a huge push of volume onto rail. <\/p>\n \u201cWe had the first commercial shore power solution in the UK but to do more we need more power and the means to achieve more,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n And that\u2019s something that needs to be done on a national scale. <\/p>\n Timely opportunity <\/strong><\/p>\n Anne-Marie Mountifield, chair, Maritime UK Solent, explained the importance of the summit.<\/p>\n \u201cThe summit is a major opportunity for us to come together to acknowledge the pivotal role the sector is playing in the region and nationally,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n \u201cAs a sector, maritime is undersold so we all need to bang the drum loud so we can be heard.\u201d <\/p>\n The marine sector she said now provides 138,000 jobs in the region and even with the rise of automation, employment has grown in the sector by 6.5% since 2019, bucking the trend in other industries. Productivity is up by 20% too. <\/p>\n \u201cReskilling and nurturing talent will be key going forward,\u201d Ms Mountifield added. <\/p>\n \u201cMaritime has previously had a \u2018Cinderella\u2019 factor but now I think it is finally coming of age.\u201d <\/p>\n Paul Ludlow, president Carnival UK and P&O Cruises, explained the importance of the cruise sector to the Solent area. <\/p>\n In 2023, there were around 460 cruise vessel calls at Southampton annually with 2.6 million passengers generating more than GB\u00a31 billion for the local and regional economy. <\/p>\n Despite these positives, the cruise industry is still getting a bad press when it comes to the environment but it\u2019s something Carnival is working hard to turn around. <\/p>\n \u201cWe are taking action to reduce our impact on the environment to deliver positive change,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n \u201cOur operations in Southampton and beyond are having a huge impact on the local economy and beyond nationally.\u201d <\/p>\n He added that Carnival expects to publish a third party validated impact report shortly. <\/p>\n Green strategy <\/strong><\/p>\n The morning\u2019s clean maritime seminar revolved around a discussion on the new UK Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy. <\/p>\n Some of the speakers (and delegates) had input into the strategy itself. <\/p>\n Charlie Field, head of engineering and estates, Wightlink, was keen to discuss the likely impact of stricter regulations under the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS). <\/p>\n \u201cThere will be increased costs to us as a ferry operator but whatever we do in terms of decarbonisation, there is a pay-off,\u201d he said. \u201cBut the pathway has be made as smooth and as tax neutral as possible.\u201d <\/p>\n When it comes to alternative fuels, he said that the biggest challenge for Wightlink as a ferry operator is the maintenance burden, particularly when it comes to biofuels. <\/p>\n \u201cStorage is our primary concern, along with the infrastructure not being available, there\u2019s no answer at the moment because the logistics just aren\u2019t there.\u201d <\/p>\n With regards to electrification, Mr Field said that Wightlink is taking the hybrid approach to decarbonisation with its vessels, because as things stand there just isn\u2019t sufficient grid power supply to ports. <\/p>\n Eugene Bari, founder and CEO of Ecomar Propulsion, spoke about the impacts of the new policy both as an SME and a electric and hybrid hydrogen marine propulsion system manufacturer. <\/p>\n \u201cEarly adopters of alternative fuels will be at an advantage,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n \u201cFor example, they may be able to look at selling carbon credits which could be an incentive to adopt these fuels and decarbonise. But we need to move now towards rapid deployment and this needs funding.\u201d <\/p>\n He pointed out that major OEMs give SMEs finding to progress developments already, but the problem is with actually getting technologies to market. <\/p>\n \u201cLet us cut the bread because we have made the loaf,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n Rounding-up, the speakers talked about what is needed to hit future decarbonisation targets. <\/p>\n They summed up that the big challenges are planning timeframes and space constraints for alternative fuels infrastructure and for electrification, it\u2019s grid infrastructure. <\/p>\n But they pointed out that end users will help drive things forward to solve these problems, along with an increase in investor potential. <\/p>\n The boom in data analysis and automation is also steering the industry rapidly towards efficiency targets.<\/p>\n Government steer <\/strong><\/p>\n Mike Kane, UK Maritime Minister, made an appearance at the event as part of his road trip to promote the launch of the new UK Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy. <\/p>\n \u201cWe now have a clear plan for decarbonisation aligned with IMO goals. With everyone united by a common goal we will succeed.\u201d <\/p>\n He called the industry \u201cthe eyes and ears on the ground\u201d and said that the government will keep learning and listening to the industry as it moves towards its decarbonisatiuon targets. <\/p>\n But he admitted that what the industry needs is more investment. <\/p>\n He said that the government has announced a further GB\u00a330m investment into the UK shore power programme and another round of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CDMC), which aims to nurture start-ups and commercialise green innovation.<\/p>\n \u201cIts been a long time coming but what we are doing with this strategy is doing away with the dither and helping bring the industry certainty,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n