RWE, one of the world’s leading offshore wind companies, will acquire the UK Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone portfolio from Vattenfall. The portfolio comprises three offshore wind development projects off the east coast of England – Norfolk Vanguard West, Norfolk Vanguard East and Norfolk Boreas.

The three projects, each with a planned capacity of 1.4 gigawatts (GW), are located 50 to 80 kilometres off the coast of Norfolk in East Anglia. This area is one of the world’s largest and most attractive areas for offshore wind.

The agreed purchase price to acquire the Vattenfall portfolio is based on an enterprise value of £963 million.

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The British and Danish electricity grids are physically connected for the first time, following the completion of cable works on the Viking Link interconnector.

The final section of the state-of-art-high voltage subsea cable, which joins Bicker Fen in Lincolnshire with Jutland in Denmark, was completed offshore in the North Sea by Prysmian’s Cable Laying Vessel ‘Leonardo da Vinci’ and its team.

The £1.7 billion (€2 billion) project is a joint venture between National Grid and Danish system operator Energinet. It will be the world’s longest land and subsea interconnector – stretching for 475 miles between the two countries. Due to be complete by the end of the year, it will enable the sharing of enough green electricity to power 1.4 million UK homes.

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Harland & Wolff has established a new subsidiary in Aberdeen as it looks to capitalise on opportunities in the energy sector.

Harland & Wolff (Technologies) (HWT) will operate in conjunction with the listed group’s four delivery centres across the UK while working independently and directly with the company’s clients in other shipyards.

It is good to see that the vastly experienced Richard Davidson has been appointed with immediate effect as managing director of the new HWT subsidiary. H&W said Davidson brings with him over three decades of experience in the energy and maritime markets and has been instrumental in introducing and commercialising new technologies centred around propulsion and fuels.

In his last role with Echandia, Richardson was responsible for developing and monetising large scale battery technologies for the marine market.

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UK Power Networks Services has won a contract to take the UK’s largest container port, and one of the largest in Europe, a step closer to Net Zero.

It will supply new electrical technology needed at the PORT OF FELIXSTOWE LIMITED to allow the port to step away from a reliance on red diesel, meet its Net Zero aspirations, reduce emissions and increase the resilience of the port’s electricity network.

This is the energy infrastructure company’s first major project in the ports industry and one of its largest projects in the last five years. The company already has proven experience and expertise from other industries such as rail, defence and aviation.

The three-year decarbonisation project includes upgrading the existing 11,000-volt electricity network to supply the seventeen new electric gantry cranes to help load and unload some of the four million containers they lift each year.

The electrification upgrade will also allow 48 new electric tractor units for the port to replace some of the existing diesel vehicles which transport containers around the port for distribution.

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To help deliver on the UK government’s ambition for clean maritime growth as part of the Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom (DfT), flagship Maritime 2050 strategy, the Clean Maritime Plan and the Clydebank Declaration announced in Glasgow at COP26, we have been sharing plans with South – East ports to deliver Blue Space Advanced Port, Energy & Logistics Centres (APELC).

National Maritime APELC will work with marine, energy, and logistics industries from around the globe to create opportunities for research, innovation and production, and to facilitate the development of energy infrastructure from across multiple energy carriers within ports.

Recognised as leading innovative marine, energy, and logistics communities, APELC will provide access to a unique complex of industrial buildings, office suites and docks, and direct deep-water.

Each centre represents a unique opportunity to help deliver transformative benefits at scale across trade, investment and innovation, which could create new jobs and support the UK’s transition to net zero . They will also support ports objectives of improving energy infrastructure and choices to make energy systems more resilient to stabilise operating costs, all whilst meeting regulatory and community needs.

Furthermore, APELC will act as catalysts to help establish green corridors, specific trade routes between major ports hubs to demonstrate and support zero-emission solutions to achieve full decarbonisation of the shipping sector by 2050.

The two companies signed a co-operation agreement, building on their experience working together on the Gate LNG Terminal in the Port of Rotterdam and their plans to develop the ACE green ammonia terminal in Rotterdam. The aim of the latest agreement is to ensure infrastructure is in place to facilitate the import of hydrogen into Northwest Europe via ports in Germany and the Netherlands.

The first hydrogen import streams are expected by 2025, the companies said, to top up hydrogen production within Europe.

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The Port of Dover has unveiled three ambitious targets that it says will put it at the vanguard of decarbonisation within the UK ports industry and help position Britain as a global leader in delivering one of the key COP26 commitments following the UK government’s hosting of the global climate summit last November.

The first two targets aim for Net Zero as follows:

-To be carbon net zero by 2025 (Scope 1&2 – direct emissions from operations and indirect emissions from purchased energy)
-To be carbon net zero by 2030 (Scope 1 & 2 and defined Scope 3 – all other emissions associated with activity)

Handling £144 billion of trade, the Port of Dover provides almost 60% of all ferry journeys between the UK and Europe that carry around one-third of all HGVs using major UK seaports. It is also a leading UK cruise and cargo port, and work across the business has already seen Dover reduce its carbon footprint by an impressive 85% since 2007.

The Port’s third target is:

-To become the world’s first (high-volume) Green Shipping Corridor

Market commitment to the route shows that trade through the Port of Dover is set to grow in the years ahead, and so Dover’s commitment will also help deliver on the Government’s ambition for clean maritime growth as part of the Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom’s flagship Maritime 2050 strategy, the Clean Maritime Plan and the Clydebank Declaration announced in Glasgow at COP26.

The targets were unveiled during a visit to the Port by Maritime Minister Robert Courts.

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Navantia, S.A., S.M.E creates a British subsidiary to reinforce partnerships in UK offshore wind energy and defence

Navantia is setting up a subsidiary company in the United Kingdom, Navantia UK. This new company reinforces Navantia’s commitment to its UK industrial partners in ship building and in the offshore wind energy sector.

Navantia UK is a step forward in Navantia’s support of the UK National Shipbuilding Strategy and Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution. Navantia UK’s activities will rely on partnerships with local industries across the United Kingdom.

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Thanks to our SME Maritime Grant Funding Champion Nick Prattley from Swell who covered this at this mornings working group meeting. If you need assistance with making a grant application contact Nick.

Tim MunnMarine Zero – One for our UK Marine Hydrogen Working Group partners.

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Condor Ferries will operate the world’s most advanced zero-emission commuter ferry service between Belfast and Bangor.

The ferry service to commence in 2024 will act as a pilot scheme for the revolutionary fast passenger ferries currently under development by the consortium, led by Artemis Technologies Ltd.

The vessels will be powered by the transformative Artemis eFoiler ® enabling them to fly above the water, allowing for a comfortable ride, producing minimal wake at high-speed, while using up to 90 per cent less energy than some conventional ferries.

The pilot service will run from Bangor Marina to Belfast’s Titanic Quarter with an expected journey time of around 30 minutes providing a greener solution to commuters along one of the busiest traffic routes in Northern Ireland.

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