Associated British Ports (ABP) has started procurement for a contractor for the marine works at the proposed Immingham Green Energy Terminal (IGET) in a contract worth £140M to £170M.

The IGET will support the import of green ammonia (NH3) from Neom in Saudi Arabia and the import of carbon dioxide (CO2). It will cover an area of approximately 102.52ha at the Port of Immingham on the banks of the Humber in Lincolnshire.

The project has been designated as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project. The plan has already been through two statutory consultations and has been accepted by the Planning Inspectorate for examination.

ABP is responsible for the development and operation of the marine facilities to meet the infrastructure needs at IGET. While IGET has not yet had the green light for development, ABP has started the hunt for a lead contractor or consortium to carry out the marine works.

On the marine side, the construction will comprise a jetty consisting of an approach trestle approximately 1.2km long. This will lead to a single berth including a loading platform and berthing and mooring dolphins with link walkways. There will be topside infrastructure on the jetty for handling of bulk liquids including loading arms and pipelines.

ABP says the construction can be broken down into the following areas:

~Jetty structure: an open piled jetty approach trestle, approximately 1.1km of deck on (up to 219) 1.2m steel tubular piles
~Jetty berth: the single berth is comprised of a loading platform, two breasting dolphins and eight mooring dolphins with associated fenders and walkways
~The jetty head would involve the installation of (up to 178) 1.5m diameter piles to support the jetty head structures and two monopiles (maximum diameter 2.3m) to provide fendering suitable for small vessels
~Dredging of the required area: A capital dredge of approximately 4,000m3 (based on the latest available site-specific geotechnical and geophysical information)
~The construction of lighting infrastructure, utilities (electrical systems, firewater systems including pumps and pipework, communications systems, security systems) and drainage
~New access road: a corridor between the new jetty and Laporte Road which would support a jetty access road, a jetty access ramp, pipe-racks, as well as security gates and buildings, a power distribution building and associated utilities

Parties have until 5pm on 30 November to express interest in the works.

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Currie & Brown has been chosen to carry out consulting services on a scheme to manage flood risks, expand access to green spaces and increase biodiversity around the river Thames.

The consultant was appointed to the £500m project by the Environment Agency and Surrey County Council.

The River Thames Scheme will create more than eight kilometres of new flood channel and increase the capacity of three existing weirs and downstream of the Desborough Cut, reducing flood risks for more than 11,000 homes and 1,600 small businesses.

This channel will be flanked by new areas of public green open space for recreation.

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The UK government has announced a series of steps for the coming years to expand its Emission Trading Scheme, including for the first time bringing domestic shipping into the program. Experts highlight that it is another example of individual countries taking steps to reduce emissions in the lack of international agreements for industries such as shipping that reach beyond domestic borders.

The announcement that shipping will be required to participate in the program starting in 2026 comes as the International Maritime Organization struggles to reach a consensus at the ongoing International Maritime Organization’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) meeting.

According to the announcement, the UK government chose to put the announcement out now to provide shipping and other industries time to begin planning for the changes that will begin in 2024 and be phased into the program over the next few years.

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Waters around the UK and Ireland have been classified as experiencing a category 4 (extreme) marine heatwave, as the North Atlantic ocean continues to see extraordinary warmth

Ocean waters around the UK and Ireland are in the grip of one of the most severe marine heatwaves on Earth at the moment, with meteorologists warning temperatures are up to 4°C above normal for the time of year in some places.
The North Atlantic ocean has experienced record-breaking temperatures for the past three months, with average surface temperatures peaking on 17 June at 23°C (73.4°F), 0.2°C above the previous high set in 2010.

Much of the heat is currently concentrated on waters surrounding the UK and Ireland, with scientists at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration categorising the region as being hit by a category 4 (extreme) marine heatwave.

Waters off the UK’s east coast, from Durham to Aberdeen, and off the west coast of Ireland are especially warm. Off Seaham, on the coast of Durham, water temperatures on 18 June hit 15°C, well above the 12°C average for the time of year. Some parts of the UK coast now have waters approaching 20°C, according to Rodney Forster at the University of Hull, UK.

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National Maritime SME Working Group Champions Macduff Ship Design Ltd. has joined forces with Kongsberg Maritime, Echandia and Harland & Wolff, to create a UK consortium with a common vision to develop and build a zero emissions harbour and coastal tug.

The nature of the UK’s topography and infrastructure means that transporting large fabricated structures, components or raw materials by road is difficult. It adds significant pressure on the road network, as well as increasing the carbon footprint dramatically.

Creating environmentally-friendly tugs and a class of ultra-efficient large barges to service the UK’s Marine Coastal Highway would not only ease pressure on the nation’s roads and reduce emissions, but also help with the Levelling Up and Net Zero ambitions. Having the ability to efficiently move large loads on the Marine Coastal Highway would create greater opportunities for shipbuilding as well as fabrication of structures for offshore wind developments across the entire country, helping spread work beyond the industry’s existing focus on the central belt of Scotland and supporting the UK’s National Shipbuilding Strategy.

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The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has launched a Call for Evidence on the impacts of fishing activity in 13 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

It follows the announcement of Byelaws to prohibit damaging fishing activity in four MPAs last month, including Dogger Bank and the Canyons, which will come into force on 13 June 2022.

The MMO are now seeking views on the impacts of bottom towed gear (BTG) fishing in 13 more MPAs which contain some of the most sensitive features at risk from this activity, including rock, and rocky and biogenic reef.

The evidence put forward at this stage will be used to inform MMO’s assessments ahead of formal consultation on management of the sites.

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Applications for the Net Zero Hydrogen Fund open April 25th.

£240m of funding will be released over 4 strands. Strands 1 & 2 are detailed below.

This fund will be relevant to several partners of the National Maritime network and of course partners of the UK Marine Hydrogen WG.

As a network partnership offer, our SME Maritime WG Grant Funding Champions Nick PrattleySwell will be working with a number of companies regarding consortium building and application support .

If you would like guidance on the application process contact Nick.

One for the National Maritime UK Marine Hydrogen Working Group Tim Munn.

The UK government has launched a wide-ranging £375 million package of support for innovative energy technologies that will power British homes and businesses for decades to come and further strengthen the nation’s energy security.

Included in this is the £240 million Net Zero Hydrogen Fund, funding low carbon hydrogen production projects, with the aim of awarding funding from the end of 2022. This will advance the government’s ambition to have up to 2GW of low-carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2025 and up to 10GW installed by 2030, using electricity to produce power by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen.

The Hydrogen Business Model, which will support further investment in hydrogen production with £100 million for electrolytic projects to cover the difference between the cost of production (the strike price) and the sale price for hydrogen (reference price). Funding for this will launch this summer.

The Industrial Hydrogen Accelerator, a £26 m innovation funding programme to support UK industry in adopting hydrogen as a clean, affordable fuel source for sectors like manufacturing by demonstrating the feasibility of hydrogen to businesses and reducing the cost of switching energy systems.

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The UK government has committed over £200mn in seed funding to support the country’s green marine technology sector, as part of the government’s latest national shipbuilding strategy.

It aims to fund research and development to cut shipping’s emissions and support start-ups to help them establish themselves in the commercial shipbuilding market dominated by countries such as South Korea, Japan and China. to compete at the world level.

The £206 million funding package reflects Britain’s attempt to return to its position as a leading global commercial shipbuilder instead of focusing on high-margin technology that it abandoned decades ago.

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UK-based ship classification society Lloyd’s Register has decided to disengage from providing services to Russia amid sanctions imposed on the country for its invasion of Ukraine.

The move will impact Russian owned, controlled or managed assets as well as firms. 

Lloyd’s Register said that it will withdraw all services to Russia to abide by the current laws of the UK, European Union and US.

Claimed to be the world’s first marine classification society, Lloyd’s Register has expertise in offering engineering and technology for the maritime industry.

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