Coastal Workboats secure £6m green maritime grant
3D Render of the new E-LUV prototype
Coastal Workboats are thrilled to have been announced as one of the recipients of a fresh round of funding thanks to the Government’s UK SHORE £60m injection into the maritime industry. Launched in September 2022, the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition’s (CMDC3) third round of funding is part of the Government’s commitment to enable increased tech innovation within the sector to eliminate CO2 emissions, increase efficiencies and decarbonise the industry. Funding is awarded to successful projects from the Department of Transport with Innovate UK acting as delivery partner.
Our successful application secured over £6m to support a £9m project that will deliver a UK-first demonstration of a fully-electric workboat and charging station. The fresh funding will enable our continued expansion north of the border. The purpose-built Electric-Landing Utility Vessel (E-LUV) will initially be demonstrated for four weeks in the Shetland Isles in a workboat capacity, running an inter-island route between West Burrafirth and Papa Stour. The route will run twice daily, five days a week, with a one-way journey time of 45 minutes.
As part of the joint project between ourselves, Coastal Pure Ltd, BK Marine Ltd and Coastal Workboats Scotland, the prototype is set apart by the onward solution it presents to future commercial workboat applications. Most workboats are deployed in areas with low or no grid power to support recharging of e-vessels. The new E-LUV addresses this via its accompanying shore-based power unit which can be used to recharge the vessel, power other applications and, with its innovative rapid-charging capability, significantly reduce vessel turnaround. The power unit can also be carried on the E-LUV’s deck, significantly extending the vessel’s working range and enabling underway charging.
With international and domestic shipping responsible for 3.4% of the UK’s GHG emissions (DfT, 2019), the funding announcement will directly enable us to prove our concept to the industry in a real-world application. Electric powered boats are currently restricted to pleasure boats – our project will stand as a country first demonstration in a commercial setting. The project will also see us work closely with the MCA throughout the project to support the creation of a new regulatory framework which will act as a blueprint for the industry to follow going forward.
The CMDC3 announcement comes amid a period of change for our Devon-based company as we also announce our relocation to a new purpose-built head office and factory in Honiton scheduled for 2024, securing jobs for the exceptionally talented workforce. The grant also enables the continued expansion of our Scottish division, Coastal Workboats Scotland who are building the E-LUV prototype, at our new premises at Stornoway Port Authority’s Marine Engineering Facility at Goat Island on Lewis.
Director Brian Pogson explains the significance of the timing of the award:
“Today’s funding announcement is a fantastic boost to our work. As with all innovation, the most important resource is the knowledge contained within our highly-experienced team – the CMDC3 funding allows us to safeguard jobs as well as expand that knowledge base on both sides of the border. We’ve been hugely excited by the potential of the E-LUV for some time and are eager to see the ways in which its 4-week trial at Papa Stour will encourage much-needed further green development across our industry.”
Speaking ahead of the funding announcement, Transport Secretary Mark Harper said:
“Our maritime sector imports 95% of goods into the UK and contributes £116 billion to our economy – more than both aviation and rail combined. With growing the economy one of the Government’s top priorities, we must continue our efforts to ensure the UK remains a pioneer in cutting-edge clean maritime solutions. The funding we’re awarding today will help to do just that, bringing emission-free concepts to life and fuelling innovation.”
Work on CWL’s E-LUV prototype begins 1st April 2023, with the four-week demonstration in the Shetland Isles expected in March 2025 following successful completion of sea-trials and testing.
about | Coastal Workboats Ltd
We are a leading builder of steel and aluminium commercial workboats and provider of associated support services. The company is based between Devon and Scotland.
For more information, please contact: Julie Pogson, Director of Coastal Workboats Ltd at:
+44 (0)1392 426542, sales@coastalworkboats.co.uk or visit coastalworkboats.co.uk.
about | CMDC3
CWL’s E-LUV is part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition Round 3 (CMDC3), which was announced in September 2022, funded by the Department for Transport and delivered in partnership with Innovate UK. As part of the CMDC3, the Department allocated £60m to 19 flagship projects supported by 92 UK organisations to deliver real world demonstration R&D projects in clean maritime solutions. Projects will take place in multiple locations around the UK from as far north as the Shetland Isles and as far south as Cornwall.
The CMDC3 is part of the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emission’s (UK SHORE) flagship multi-year CMDC programme. In March 2022, the Department announced the biggest government investment ever in our UK commercial maritime sector, allocating £206m to UK SHORE, a new division within the Department for Transport focused on decarbonising the maritime sector. UK SHORE is delivering a suite of interventions throughout 2022-2025 aimed at accelerating the design, manufacture and operation of UK-made clean maritime technologies and unlocking an industry-led transition to Net Zero.