Clean Maritime Day package sets UK on course to make green shipping a reality and level up coastal communities

A new package of clean maritime measures was unveiled by the Transport Secretary on:- 14 September 2023. This move will help UK shipping to tackle the biggest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK's transport sector while boosting economic growth.

Following the Clydebank Declaration for Green Shipping Corridors at COP26, a £1.5 million International Green Corridor Fund has been launched, in collaboration with international partners, including:- Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands, to make end-to-end green shipping a reality.

Announced during London International Shipping Week, the pot will part-fund feasibility studies, with further match funding from international partners and industry, to explore how to bring to life our commitment to decarbonise our international shipping lanes.

The corridors will act as a testing ground to encourage the development of vessel technology, shoreside infrastructure and regulations to better push industry towards decarbonisation; creating new jobs and opportunities for the sector to thrive, both economically and environmentally.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said:- "With 95% of the UK's trade happening by sea, the maritime sector is vital to our country's economic output, but it's also 1 of the biggest contributors to the UK's emissions. That's why it's so important that we focus on how decarbonising maritime can help grow the economy; this package helps create highly skilled jobs and supports the levelling up of our coastal communities."

Maritime Minister Baroness Vere said:- "The UK maritime sector is a world leader in green shipping practices but the journey towards a fully decarbonised sector by 2050 requires us to continue innovating, pushing forward and building on that status. With the world's mariners focusing on London this week, it's fantastic to once again show how the UK continues to be a driving force in the industry through our new Clean Maritime Day package."

This work will go hand in hand with the new Clean Maritime Research Hub, which will put the UK in a leading position in maritime decarbonisation, creating jobs across UK academia and producing research that not only supports green economic growth but enables businesses across the UK maritime sector to get a head start in using clean technologies.

The hub, will further bridge the gap between academia, industry and think tanks, bringing together the brightest minds and facilitate solutions to some of the toughest net zero challenges that face the sector. Formed by a consortium of 13 UK Universities and over 70 wider partners led by Durham University, the hub is backed by £7.4 million of funding from the Department for Transport and UK Research and Innovation. On top of that the hub will receive £1.85 million funding from the Universities and will leverage a minimum of £9.7 million cash or in-kind private contributions with more expected over the lifetime of the programme until March 2027.

This partnership will ensure that industry leads the way towards greener shipping. Alongside this a 2nd research hub, the Net Zero Transport for a Resilient Future Research hub, has launched, looking specifically at developing affordable low carbon transport infrastructure like charging stations or alternative fuelling.

Professor Miles Padgett, Interim Executive Chair of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), said:- "Investing in research and innovation is crucial to achieve the UK's ambitious target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Domestic shipping emits more polluting gases than buses and rail combined. A maritime research hub will bring together world-leading expertise and support the sector to develop and commercialise clean maritime fuels and technologies."

Mark Simmonds, Director of Policy and External Affairs at the British Ports Association, said:- "Green corridors are an exciting opportunity for industry to demonstrate the low emission fuels and technologies of the future. The partnerships between industry and different Governments will be critical in making them a success so we are pleased to see coordinated funding from the UK and other countries with high ambition for tackling climate change. We look forward to engaging with the new maritime hub on tackling some of the technical barriers faced by industry in meeting our net zero ambitions."

Building towards a new future requires foresight and that's why we are allocating £1 million to accelerate the development of maritime clusters across the UK. Clusters drive collaboration between industry, academia and Government and are key to delivering economic growth and jobs in the sector while meeting our environmental goals. For example, the work of Mersey Maritime has supported the sector's £2.74 billion contribution to the Liverpool City Region through business turnover. Going forward their role in delivering the next phase of the Maritime Knowledge Hub will provide 4,000 jobs on completion and over the initial period of its life.

Elsewhere the Cornwall Marine Network has created 4,450 new marine jobs and apprenticeships, supported 890 unemployed people to gain jobs and engaged 36,000 young people in marine vocational training and careers. We believe that accelerating the development of our maritime clusters will support our coastal communities and help our maritime sector to deliver economic benefits both Regionally and nationally.

Earlier this week £80m of funding was allocated to winners of the Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure (ZEVI) scheme, which will see on vessel and shore side clean maritime technology demonstrated in conjunction for the 1st time as part of UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emission (UK SHORE) funding.

Having grown consistently; and rapidly; since its conception in September 2013, this year's London International Shipping Week is the event's 10th Anniversary and will explore the future of maritime with decarbonisation and the influx of artificial intelligence. It runs until:- 15 September 2023.

Most difficult book to read ever published launches with words printed entirely in the margins

A book unlike any seen before has gone on general release today, and it is being billed as the most difficult book to read that has ever been published.

From the Margins has every word printed entirely in the margins of the pages; a direct inversion of a:- 'normal' book. Those words in the margins tell the profoundly moving personal stories of marginalised people living with:- HIV, Hepatitis C and Cancer.

The book has been released to raise awareness of the issue of marginalisation and health inequality in the UK. In Britain in 2023, the year of the 75th Anniversary of the NHS, we still see inequalities in our healthcare system and society, and those in the margins do not all get the same level of care.

The foreword to From the Margins has been written by globally renowned historian, writer, broadcaster and film maker Professor David Olusoga OBE, whose commentary on racism and inequality has been widely recognised and commended. Providing historical context to the issue of marginalisation and health inequality and showing it to be something that has existed for centuries, Olusoga's powerful foreword draws parallels between the present day and the past. It starkly illustrates how lessons have not been learned.

Professor David Olusoga OBE said;- "Human societies have always been unequal and human beings have always displayed a tendency to recoil and retreat from illness and disease. The wealthy and the well connected have always been afforded access to care and treatment that the poor and marginalised have been denied. Individuals are pushed to the margins because of their:- social class, race, ethnicity, sexuality, or poverty, and when these people are faced with disease, what results is exacerbating health inequalities. As many of the personal testimonies in:- 'From the Margins' powerfully demonstrate, historic patterns of inequality and marginalisation have not been consigned to history. They are affecting lives and shaping outcomes in our society right now in the 21st Century."

With its unintuitive and challenging layout of the words, From The Margins is a difficult book to read because the stories in the margins tell, at times, heart breaking tales of marginalisation. They are unfiltered, unedited and are entirely the words of those who lived these experiences. The people featured in the book are:-

• Joshua Royal; a remarkable young, gay, Black man from London who contracted HIV and battled racism and discrimination to prevail and help others.
   

• Husseina Hamza; a Muslim woman living with HIV. She fought stigmatisation, ignorance, and isolation, and came out the other side.
   

• Kieron Allen; a man who fought addiction for 30 years before contracting Hepatitis C in his 50s. Kieron battled against the odds and refuses to be defined by his disease.
   

• Leanne Pero MBE; an indomitable, unrelenting young Black woman who contracted breast cancer. Leanne fought racism and ignorance, and now helps others living with cancer.
   

• Rebecca Tallon De Havilland; a transwoman living with HIV. Rebecca fought immense HIV related stigma throughout her life. She has, and continues, to pave the way for others to live their lives as their true selves.
   

• Stewart O'Callaghan; a beautiful person living with blood cancer, Stewart was passed from pillar to post, was marginalised and misunderstood, but ultimately prevailed.

Despite the devastating accounts of hardship, stigmatisation and pain, each story in:- 'From The Margins' carries a message of bravery and hope. The people featured have triumphed to overcome marginalisation and help others, but there are many out there who have not.

While it is hoped that the release of the book will shine an uncomfortable light on the issue of marginalisation and health inequality for the British public, it will also be used by Gilead Sciences as a catalyst to try and affect changes for those diverse communities and individuals who remain unheard. The:- 'afterword,' written by Dr Véronique Walsh, General Manager for Gilead Sciences in the United Kingdom and Ireland, offers her perspective on the next steps that need to be taken to address these issues. Commenting on the book, Véronique, said:- "These heart breaking, yet inspiring stories illustrate why it is more important than ever to hear and act upon what patients tell us. Our contributors have given a voice to the unheard and marginalised. At Gilead Sciences we are committed to supporting all patients no matter their background. Our approach to partnership involving communities develops trust and helps tackle health inequalities. It is vital we all work together so no 1 is left behind or kept on the margins of society and healthcare."