Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department provides (a) funding and (b) any other support for increasing (i) grid capacity and (ii) enabling electrification at the Port of Southampton.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy, published in March 2025, sets out domestic goals and commitments to decarbonise maritime transport, and a call for evidence on Net Zero Ports was launched to assess future energy demand at ports such as Southampton and Portsmouth International.
While the Government does not directly fund increases in electricity network capacity, we support Ofgem in their work to incentivise electricity network companies to invest strategically, ensuring plans reflect emerging demands from electrifying sectors. Through the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions, Portsmouth International Port received nearly £20m of R&D funding to support a shore power trial.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to support the maritime sector.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government strongly supports the sector, including £448m of funding for maritime decarbonisation, updating the National Policy Statement for Ports, fostering an environment for port investment, backing maritime skills and seafarers’ rights. We will shortly publish a Maritime Growth Strategy with our priorities for sustainable sector growth, people, environment, and safety.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many ports have operational shore power infrastructure capable of supporting zero-emission operations; and how this compares with the number of ports affected by the inclusion of emissions at berth in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government does not centrally record the level of live shore power infrastructure at ports, harbours, marinas, terminals or wharves, including whether they offer low voltage or high voltage shore power connections.
We are aware of at least nine ports, harbours, marinas, terminals and wharves that have live operational shore power units that allows some vessels to run on shore power today. At least another two locations are currently installing shore power. Of these eleven locations, six of them received R&D funding through the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) programme.
The policies in the Government’s Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy will encourage more investment in maritime decarbonisation, including shore power rollout at more ports.
Asked by: Perran Moon (Labour - Camborne and Redruth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the UK Port Waste Reception Facilities regime in supporting the disposal of fishing gear; and whether he plans to strengthen or standardise requirements across ports.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra engages with ports, the fishing sector and Devolved Governments on a range of marine litter and waste issues. Defra has not made an assessment of UK Port Waste Reception Facilities, which are managed by the Department for Transport and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
The international Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) sets international regulations covering the various sources of ship-generated waste pollution within individual Annexes of the Convention. To protect the marine environment further and to strengthen the prohibition requirement under the Merchant Shipping Regulations implementing MARPOL, the Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels (Port Waste Reception Facilities) Regulations 2003 set requirement for ports and terminals to provide adequate reception facilities for the delivery of ships-generated waste.
The UK is working collaboratively at the International Maritime Organisation to address actions that have been identified under its 2025 Action Plan and 2021 Strategy on marine plastic litter from ships, in particular abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what schemes and programmes her Department has in place to help support zero-emission in (a) shipping and (b) aviation.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government recognises the potential decarbonisation and growth benefits that new forms of zero-emission maritime vessels and aircraft could provide.
The Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy, published in March 2025, sets out our policies and commitments to decarbonise the sector. We are already meeting these commitments through the expansion of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to domestic maritime from July 2026, and we will consult on maritime fuel regulations later this year.
We have announced a further £448 million of funding of the UK SHORE programme, the biggest government investment ever in the UK’s commercial maritime sector, which will unlock innovation and investment potential in UK technologies, ports and shipyards.
We will continue to work closely with maritime industry partners to help the sector unlock the investment it needs to transition to zero, and near-zero, emission fuels and technologies.
We have already made significant progress on aviation decarbonisation, with considerable support for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), airspace modernisation and development of new technologies.
Alongside other measures, zero emission flight has a role to play in decarbonising the sector. In January, we announced up to £43m of R&D funding for aviation decarbonisation, including confirming our continued support of the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) Hydrogen in Aviation Regulatory Challenge. This is informing the development of a regulatory framework for zero-emission hydrogen aircraft. Also, the Department for Transport (DfT) will publish shortly a report into the barriers and opportunities to commercialising hydrogen in aviation, completed by a Jet Zero Taskforce Task and Finish Group.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of expanding the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to maritime on (a) the international competitiveness of the UK’s cruise sector, (b) Liverpool Cruise Port and (c) other British ports.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The domestic expansion of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) will only include emissions from international voyages, including cruises, produced while at berth in UK ports. This means there is no net loss of competitiveness for international cruise visits to UK ports relative to ports in the European Economic Area (EEA), where these emissions are already in scope of the EU ETS. As such, the impact is expected to be minimal. This is also the case for UK ports in general, and whilst the specific impacts on Liverpool Cruise Port have not been assessed, the impact on UK ports is not expected to be significant, as neighbouring competing ports in the EEA face equivalent regulations under the EU ETS.
In September 2025, we announced a further £448 million of funding for the UK SHORE programme. This funding will continue to support clean maritime solutions, including the decarbonisation of ports and vessels at berth.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to announce details of the next steps of the Maritime Decarbonisation Plan, including responses to calls for evidence on net zero ports and decarbonising small vessels.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are already meeting the commitments set out in the 2025 Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy. This includes expanding the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to the domestic maritime sector from July this year and a further £448 million for the UK SHORE programme supporting the research and development of clean maritime fuels and technologies.
As set out in the Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy, we committed to publishing a review of the Strategy within five years of publication and an update following the adoption of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO’s) mid-term measures. We remain committed to working with other Member States to progress adoption of the mid-term measures this year, which is vital for climate action and providing industry with the certainty it needs.
We will provide a summary of responses to the calls for evidence on net zero ports and smaller vessels in due course.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department provides (a) funding and (b) any other support for increasing (i) grid capacity and (ii) enabling electrification at Portsmouth International Port.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy, published in March 2025, sets out domestic goals and commitments to decarbonise maritime transport, and a call for evidence on Net Zero Ports was launched to assess future energy demand at ports such as Southampton and Portsmouth International.
While the Government does not directly fund increases in electricity network capacity, we support Ofgem in their work to incentivise electricity network companies to invest strategically, ensuring plans reflect emerging demands from electrifying sectors. Through the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions, Portsmouth International Port received nearly £20m of R&D funding to support a shore power trial.
Asked by: Richard Quigley (Labour - Isle of Wight West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the decision not to temporarily exempt the Isle of Wight from the maritime expansion of the Emissions Trading Scheme on the cost of Isle of Wight ferries.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government assessed the expansion of the United Kingdom Emissions Trading Scheme to domestic maritime on a scheme wide basis rather than for individual routes.
The Impact Assessment concluded that the policy is not expected to materially affect the competitiveness of ports or operators, and that applying the scheme consistently to domestic voyages and at berth emissions does not create a credible incentive for traffic diversion.
The Government recognises the importance of ferry services to the Isle of Wight. Any potential impacts of the scheme on these services will be considered in a review of the UK ETS Maritime regime in 2028.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the level of risk of double charging of emissions at berth under both the UK ETS and EU ETS for vessels calling at UK ports.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
From 1 July 2026, the emissions from the maritime sector to which the UK Emissions Trading Scheme will apply are:
• emissions from voyages beginning and ending in the UK, and
• emissions at berth and from movements within ports in the UK.
The EU Emissions Trading System does not apply to these emissions, and so there will be no double charging of emissions under both the UK ETS and the EU ETS.