Twenty-five Scottish firms including successful companies are set to be awarded a share of £4.8m in funding to support the development of clean maritime fuels and technologies such as ammonia, hydrogen, methanol, solar and electric, awarded from the sixth round of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC).

Scotland has received £32.6m funding from the CMDC programme in total which is focused on delivering the technology necessary to decarbonise maritime, with a further £4.8m from the sixth round of CMDC announced today.

“It’s so exciting to see investment in green fuels and technologies spurring on skills, innovation and manufacturing in Scotland, delivering on our Plan for Change missions to kickstart economic growth and become a clean energy superpower,” said maritime minister, Mike Kane said.

“We’ve charted a course to net zero shipping by 2050 and this £30m will be crucial in supporting the green fuels and technologies of the future, so we can clean up sea travel and trade whilst growing our coastal economies in the process.”

Successful projects to date include the installation of electric chargepoint networks across ports, including at Aberdeen, the demonstration of an electric crew transfer vessel at Aberdeen Offshore Wind Farm, and the demonstration of a green hydrogen shore power system at the port of Leith.

During his visit to Clydeport, the Minister met with workers from the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland,  which is looking to help Smart Green Shipping scale up the manufacturing of the FastRig windsail going forward.

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Built nearby in Glasgow, the FastRig is a high-tech wind sail which can be installed onto vessels, saving up to 40% in fuel and reducing emissions by as much as 6%. The project received £3.3m from the third round of the CMDC and has now been successfully deployed at sea.

Secretary of State for Scotland Ian Murray said: “This £4.8m investment in Scottish clean maritime innovation demonstrates exactly what we can achieve when we combine Scotland’s proud industrial heritage with cutting-edge green technology.

“Scottish businesses are leading the charge in decarbonising our seas whilst creating jobs and revitalising our coastal communities. This funding builds on our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower, and I’m proud to see Scotland at the forefront of this vital transition to net zero shipping.”