UK Ports: Fossil fuels dusk while electricity is dawning 

The UK’s Department for Transport has published (26 August) updated long-term forecasts showing a major shift in the way goods move through British ports. The DfT says that there’s a widening gap between fossil fuels and anticipated rises in marine traffic. That gap will be filled by zero-emissions alternatives, both at sea and on shore.

The composition of goods transiting British ports is expected to radically change over the next twenty-five years. Similarly, according to government analysis, the power behind ports and maritime operations will shift fundamentally too. For ports and shipping operators, a carbon-free future seems inevitable.

Unitised over half of all traffic

According to the government’s “Port Freight Traffic Forecasts (2024–2050)”, as amended and published this month, overall volumes at British ports will rise modestly in the second quarter of this century. The Department for Transport (DfT) analysis shows that 420.6 million tonnes transited through major UK ports in 2023. That figure is expected to rise to 453.5 million tonnes in 2050. That’s only a modest 7.8 per cent increase, but the figures don’t show how radically the nature of that traffic will be transformed.

Unitised freight (ferries, Ro-Ro and containers) is set to rise by 56.7 per cent, becoming the largest segment of UK port traffic and accounting for over half (52.5 per cent) of the total by 2050. That’s up from 34 per cent today. Dry bulk cargo will increase even more, by 61.7 per cent, reflecting demand for ores and industrial materials.

The big change is in oil cargo

There is, however, an even more dramatic shift on the spreadsheet. Liquid bulk (oil and oil products) will collapse by 63.3 per cent, falling from 169.3 million tonnes to just 62.1 million tonnes as the energy transition takes hold. This follows on from the significant reduction in crude oil refining. The UK now has only six operational refineries, compared to 18 in the 1970s (Grangemouth was the most recent closure – see RailFreight.com reporting). The reliance on oil is dwindling and will only accelerate as the motor and energy sectors increasingly move towards sustainable options and demand for fossil-based products falls. For ports and shipping operators, the growth is coming from sectors that can, and seem obliged, to electrify.

Independent clean energy specialists NatPower Marine say they are poised to deliver that change at ports around the world. They are investing heavily in the infrastructure to match this transformation. NPM is already in partnership with the UK’s Peel Ports Group, and has committed GB£100 million (US$135m) to electrify eight major UK and Irish ports, creating the first green shipping corridors across the Irish Sea, an important and competitive route.

Meet tightening net zero targets

By 2030, NatPower Marine says it will deliver £250 million ($338m) of shorepower infrastructure, in a global network of 120 clean ports, designed around the busiest commercial routes. Working directly with cruise, ferry and shipping lines, the company is building a route-based charging network that ensures vessels can plug into clean electricity at berth (cold ironing) and en route (propulsion charging).

This model, says NatPower Marine, not only reduces direct emissions but also tackles Scope 3 emissions from vessel operations. By switching from bunker fuels to electricity, ships can cut CO2, NOx, and SOx emissions in port by up to 95 per cent, they say. That helps with improving air quality in surrounding communities by cutting port-city pollutants by 35 per cent, while helping operators meet tightening IMO and UK net zero targets.

Infrastructure transition

“The Government’s forecasts confirm the reality,” said Stefano D. M. Sommadossi, CEO of NatPower Marine UK. “The age of oil is ending, and the future of UK ports lies in electrified trade. The segments highlighted for growth, including ferries, Ro-Ro and container shipping, are also the ones best suited to clean shore power and e-charging. Without urgent investment, the UK risks gridlock at the very moment maritime trade is accelerating.”

NatPower Marine says it has 12.5 GW of grid connection applications and 100 GWh of battery storage in development. “This is a once-in-a-generation infrastructure transition,” said Sommadossi. “The [UK] government forecasts show the future. Our job is to build the network that makes it possible.”