The government has committed to decarbonising UK shipping by 2050 and is due to revisit its Clean Maritime Plan later this year. Without action, shipping emissions are projected to increase in the future and there is no one ‘silver bullet’ zero carbon fuel available in the quantity required to support this transition.

This briefing argues that in order to overcome these challenges:

• The supply of zero emission fuel must be mandated
• Research and development funding should be increased
• Shipping emissions should be included in the UK emissions trading system
• The UK must tackle its fair share of international emissions.