Government should invest in maritime tech, say MPs

Funding

One of the issues facing technological development in the sector is that there is a “drop off between demonstration of technology and scaling up, as funding is generally only available for the research and innovation phases”, the report said.

“This will be even more problematic for future carbon-neutral technologies as they will be more expensive than competing carbon technologies.”

The committee calls on the Department of Transport (DfT) to work with the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) “to develop business skills support for small and medium-sized enterprises in the maritime sector”.

In 2018, the Government Office for Science identified that smart shipping is “likely to be the single most important marine technological development”, and in 2021, government research showed that a sharper focus on smart shipping would generate up to £750m to the UK GDP, with additional impacts introduced by the adoption of technology resulting in a £56m boost to the economy.

The Transport Committee’s report said that smart shipping, such as largely automated operation of inland or seagoing ships through on-board technologies and new port design, would “allow a vessel to sail more efficiently, thereby reducing transportation costs and boosting competitiveness in relation to rail and road for inland waterways”.

However, the report points out that new technology requires new regulation, and cited Maritime UK’s Programme for government, published in October 2022, which said the government “must not be afraid to engage in extensive regulatory reform to ensure the regulatory framework keeps up with the current pace of technological development across the economy”.

“Regulation has been referred to as the last hurdle for innovation, with people not wanting to risk not being able to get regulatory approval,” the report said.

It added that the Maritime Future Technologies Team (MFT), established by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) in November 2020, aims to assist in understanding the new technologies available and help facilitate the conversation for regulatory change.

However, in evidence from Marine Zero, the committee heard that as the workload for MFT has increased, “their ability to support organisations has correspondingly decreased”.

“This will deter investors and first movers from engaging in the UK market as it is now seen as high-risk, with the MCA being seen as a blocker and not an enabler,” the report said.

Change of plan

Originally, there were plans to bring forward a comprehensive transport bill, which would include legislative reforms on autonomous vessels. However, this is no longer the plan. Despite this, the government told the committee it did not believe regulation was lagging behind innovation.

“There is a fine balance that needs to be struck when it comes to regulating for smart shipping and autonomous vessels,” the report said. “It is important that innovation is able to flourish while ensuring safety standards are maintained and that there is a measure of certainty to guide investment.

“There is a major commercial opportunity for UK innovators, who have been at the forefront of developing marine and maritime autonomy to date. This momentum must not be lost.”

The government also has a goal of achieving net-zero emissions in the shipping industry. However, the report said there is an urgent need to scale up and commercialise current technologies that may assist in reaching net-zero more quickly, which the committee believes “is an oversight in current funding streams”.