Dutch Maritime Masterplan kicks off with a grant of EURO 52.9 million!


The Dutch maritime sector wants to make a sustainable and digital difference to the global energy transition, and this has led to the Maritime Masterplan, an initiative to achieve a smart and zero- emission maritime sector. MARIN is playing an active role in this move towards a more sustainable maritime world.


N


emissions, the international maritime sector is facing a huge


ow responsible for 2.9% of global CO2


transition. Although zero-emission solutions are essential for the future, they are often not yet technically available or financially affordable. Additionally, the strategic autonomy - needed to guarantee the operational superiority and security of deployment of the Dutch National Fleet - is also under pressure and international competitiveness is increasing. At the same time, ships are essential for transport, for the infrastructure for renewable energy, coastal protection and maritime safety.


As a frontrunner in the maritime energy transition, the Dutch maritime sector wants to reduce the additional costs of zero- emission ships, break the 'valley of death' for the implementation of zero-emission technology, and reduce the construction costs of ships with labour productivity- enhancing technologies.


Hannes Bogaert h.bogaert@marin.nl 10 report


This is being done through three programmes: (1) the joint development and sharing of smart, zero-emission knowledge and technology in the maritime knowledge ecosystem, (2) a technology demonstration on board of 20 ships from the National Fleet and 30 ships from Dutch shipowners, and (3) the development of testing grounds for digital design and robotised production.


As a first important step to realise the Masterplan, maritime companies and knowledge institutions developed cooperation projects in 2021 under the framework of the R&D Mobility sector’s subsidy scheme from the Ministry of Economic Affairs. This subsidy was launched in May 2021 to counteract declining investment in R&D in the aviation, automotive and maritime sectors.


In November 2021, the maritime industry was delighted that three projects were awarded, representing a total grant of EURO 52.9 million. The sector itself will also contribute EURO 23.9 million. These projects will work on the development of methanol (MENENS) and hydrogen (SH2IPDRIVE) as alternative energy carriers, and the elimination of greenhouse gas emissions from LNG-powered ships (LNG-ZERO). MARIN is involved in all three projects.


To fund the next steps of the Masterplan, the Dutch maritime sector has recently submitted an application to the National Growth Fund. The requested budget is EURO 365.6 million and the sector is expected to contribute EURO 1 billion, including additional costs for innovations and investments in ships.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24