Welcome back to the MarRI-UK weekly roundup!
This week’s developments highlight a maritime sector navigating parallel tracks of transition and continuity. Offshore wind and clean maritime innovation remain active, with major auctions, new project milestones and expanding funding opportunities across the UK and globally. At the same time, oil and gas continue to dominate headlines, driven by new licences, enforcement actions and large-scale gas and LNG investments amid ongoing geopolitical tensions. Shipping markets face regulatory uncertainty, security risks and shifting trade flows, while digitalisation and automation gain momentum across fleets and ports. Together, these stories underline a sector balancing decarbonisation ambition with near-term energy security and operational resilience.
This week’s highlight
- Register to attend the UK Maritime Research and Technology Roadmap Workshops
- Opportunities for hydrogen innovators – January 2026 Find out more
- Why maritime decarbonisation now needs a governance architecture Read more
MarRI-UK Member’s and Partner’s News
- (14/01) A vision for 2026: technology, collaboration and resilience Read more
- (14/01) BMT Welcomes Adam Northover as Senior Account Manager – Ports, Infrastructure and Environment Read more
- (13/01) Lloyd’s Register Launches Advanced Stowage Solutions to Cut Container Losses and Improve Ship Efficiency Read more
UK Maritime
- (16/01) EnBW takes $1.4bn hit after pulling plug on two UK offshore wind projects Read more
- (15/01) FIDs on UK’s Newly Awarded Offshore Wind Farms Coming Up in 2026, 2027 Read more
- (15/01) Two North Sea oil & gas operators slapped with $469K fine for breaches in UK waters Read more
- (14/01) RWE Secures Almost 7 GW as UK Awards 8.4 GW in ‘Europe’s Biggest Ever Offshore Wind Auction’ Read more
- (13/01) Artemis EF-24 Passenger Ferry Reaches Major Milestone With Delivery of First Vessels to Belfast Read more
- (13/01) CWHI Delivers First Batch of Inch Cape Transition Pieces Read more
- (12/01) Prosafe bags further flotel work in UK North Sea Read more
- (12/01) Houlder secures Innovate UK funding to assess decarbonisation potential of energy saving devices and alternative fuels in combinationRead more
- (09/01) National Grid Updates Plan for UK-Netherlands Interconnection via Nederwiek 3 Offshore Wind Farm Read more
- (09/01) UK firm’s subsea technology ordered for Japanese offshore wind Read more
Newly added Funding Opportunities – access the full list via MarRI-UK: Maritime Funding Opportunities
- Pre-announcement: EPSRC Prosperity Partnerships 2027 Find out more
- Call for proposals: Responsible Fishing Open for application on 3 February 2026
- Wave 3: Flexible Funding Call Apply before 30 January 2026
- Innovate UK Growth Catalyst – Investor Partnerships Round 2 Apply before 3 February 2026
- Enterprise Fellowships Apply before 16 February 2026
- Maritime and Last Mile Net Zero (MaLaMi) Apply before 26 February 2026
Events Highlight
- 21-22 January 2026 – 11th Maritime Autonomous Systems Regulatory Working Group Conference – Online
- 22 January 2026 – North Devon and Torridge Maritime Network – Ilfracombe, UK
- 22 January 2026 – The Celtic Sea 2026: Driving the Next Wave of Offshore Wind Innovation – Cardiff, UK
- 27 January 2026 – i3P talks with: Ian Small on innovation readiness levels – Online
- 28 January 2026 – Battery Innovation Programme Showcase – London, UK
- 3 February & 3 March 2026 –Enabling Clean Growth for UK Industries Webinar Series – Online
- 6 February 2026 – Insights from the Hydrogen Economy Report Webinar – Online
- 18 February 2026 – SMIFutures Maritime Careers Showcase – Glasgow, UK
- 24 February 2026 – Celtic Sea Conference 2026 – Bristol, UK
- 10-12 March 2026 – Connecting The Global Ocean Technology Community – London, UK
- 27 March 2026 – Creating Sustainable Harbours event – Dartmouth, UK
- 9-11 June 2026 – Seawork 2026 – Southampton, UK
- 16-18 June 2026 – Autonomous Ship Expo – Amsterdam, Netherlands
Publication
- LR Class News 01/2026: New SOLAS requirements for anchor handling winches Read more
- State of AI for Decarbonisation 2025 Download
- Panama Maritime Review 2025/2026 Download
- Global Ports Report 2025 Download
- Fuel for thought: Hydrogen Download
- Project CAPTURED Report Part 2: Quantifying the life cycle emissions of the onboard captured CO₂ value chain: From ship-to-ship offloading and transport to utilisation Download
Global Maritime News
Offshore Renewable Energy
- (16/01) Judge allows Equinor to restart construction of New York offshore wind project Read more
- (15/01) ‘World’s First’ 20 MW Wind Turbine Installed Offshore Read more
- (14/01) South Korean Company Enters Pre-Qualification for Canada’s First Offshore Wind Auction Read more
- (14/01) Fugro extends PTSC partnership as Vietnam pushes offshore wind expansion Read more
- (14/01) Global Investor Joining RWE on Two Norfolk Vanguard Offshore Wind Projects, FID Expected in Summer Read more
- (14/01) Grid Connection Platform for Windanker Offshore Wind Farm Installed in Baltic Sea Read more
- (13/01) Vattenfall Takes Final Investment Decision for 1.6 GW Offshore Wind Project in Germany Read more
- (13/01) Court sides with Ørsted as US offshore wind project restart approved Read more
- (12/01) Former Belgian Energy Minister Takes Helm at WindEurope Read more
- (12/01) New York Attorney General Files Lawsuits Against Trump Admin’s Stop-Work Orders for Empire Wind, Sunrise Wind Read more
- (12/01) Vattenfall Kicks Off EUR 3 Million Blade Repair Tender for Three Offshore Wind Farms Read more
- (12/01) Irish Regulator Publishes Competitive Maritime Area Consent Framework Read more
- (09/01) Navantia, Windar Roll Out 200th Offshore Wind Jacket Foundation at Spanish Yard Read more
- (09/01) Maersk WTIV Completes Sea Trials, Delivery Scheduled for February Read more
Nuclear Energy
- (12/01) Argentina and Brazil MoU on maritime nuclear regulation Read more
- (12/01) Why global shipping needs an energy solution built for scale Read more
Clean Maritime
- (16/01) Simplifying regulatory compliance Read more
- (16/01) What it will take to create a financially sustainable, zero-emission electric shipping ecosystem Read more
- (15/01) TotalEnergies, Mitsui, and Nordsøfonden pick up CO2 storage exploration permit in North Sea Read more
- (14/01) Seventh ammonia-ready vessel joins Grimaldi’s fleet Read more
- (14/01) Asian shipping execs negative on IMO Net Zero Framework prospects Read more
- (13/01) Green ammonia offtake deal strengthens India-Europe supply corridor Read more
Ports
- (16/01) Port of Long Beach aims to double container volumes by 2050 Read more
- (15/01) Riga Port Signs First Investor as It Prepares Kundziņsala for Offshore Wind Industry Read more
- (14/01) PSA posts 5% global container volume growth in 2025 Read more
- (14/01) TT Club issues on-shore power supply warning as deadline approaches Read more
- (12/01) Hapag-Lloyd arm takes full control of Florida International Terminal Read more
Global Shipping & Newbuild
- (16/01) Hengli Heavy plans $1.94bn capacity expansion Read more
- (15/01) Prysmian’s new cable layer en route to Norway for final outfitting Read more
- (15/01) Yangzijiang Maritime ramps up asset push with 16-ship newbuild spree Read more
- (15/01) Bulkers ride China’s bauxite surge Read more
- (15/01) Coal shipments to China fall 10% with further decline on the horizon Read more
- (15/01) Shipping sees regulatory changes as biggest risk to business in 2026 Read more
- (15/01) Asyad Shipping steps up VLCC expansion with fresh Hanwha Ocean order Read more
- (14/01) Cosco Shipping orders 12 LNG dual-fuel container ships Read more
- (14/01) Container-capable newcastlemax newbuilds emerge as COSCO breaks the mould Read more
- (14/01) New Year, New Deals in the Newbuilding and S&P Markets Read more
- (13/01) Container shipping market outlook for 2026 – a Red Sea return? Read more
- (13/01) Singapore Registry of Ships posts 27% growth for 2025 Read more
- (13/01) Mercuria lines up fleet growth at Chinese yards Read more
- (12/01) Purus adds Samsung LNG newbuilds to expanding gas fleet Read more
- (12/01) Agricore taps Soho Chuangke for ultramax newbuilds Read more
- (12/01) Seacon steps into newcastlemax newbuilds with Qingdao Beihai deal Read more
- (09/01) Eight VLCCs out, nine Hemen Holdings newbuildings in at Frontline Read more
Smart Maritime
- (16/01) HMM rolls out autonomous navigation tech across fleet Read more
- (15/01) Nine rigs from Valaris-Aramco JV’s fleet embrace ALTAVE’s AI monitoring solution Read more
- (15/01) Fragmented shipboard tech stack needs fixing Read more
- (14/01) ABS and AMOG pooling resources for offshore mooring digital twin Read more
- (12/01) Ocean Infinity orders four marine robotic vessels at Vard Read more
Other news
- (16/01) Damage reported following Russian strike on Chornomorsk Read more
- (16/01) Chevron clears gas project off Israel for expansion Read more
- (14/01) Shipping awaits outcome of Iran-Trump standoff Read more
- (14/01) HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Developing New Floating Substation Read more
- (14/01) US targets ‘dozens’ of Venezuela‑linked tankers in shadow fleet squeeze Read more
- (14/01) Ukrainian drones target Greek tankers off Novorossiysk Read more
- (14/01) TDI-Brooks’ vessel prepping for upcoming survey gig in Caribbean Read more
- (14/01) Norway ensures continued oil and gas activity by awarding over 50 new licences Read more
- (13/01) Mitsui & Co to offer Japan’s first ship tokenisation vehicle Read more
- (13/01) ITIC warns of rising payment fraud after $200,000 crew settlement hijacked Read more
- (13/01) Russian drones hit ships off Odesa as Black Sea attacks escalate Read more
- (13/01) Mega $12.5 billion gas project makes inroads as FPU ends its miles-long journey in Australia Read more
- (12/01) Shipping markets in 2026 – will disruption defy fundamentals again? Read more
- (12/01) Tanker Market: Venezuela’s Oil Throws Another Layer of Uncertainty Read more
- (12/01) Ukraine drone attacks target Lukoil’s largest offshore fields Read more
- (12/01) Iran draws shipping into widening confrontation with US Read more
- (12/01) 2 or 3 ship robbery groups remain active in Singapore Strait Read more
- (12/01) Mandatory reporting of containers lost at sea comes into force Read more
- (12/01) African offshore oil field set to come online by month-end Read more
- (09/01) Lunar New Year demand boosts limp Transpacific rates Read more
- (09/01) TotalEnergies, Eni and QatarEnergy enter new exploration permit offshore Lebanon Read more
Maritime Events Archive
- 20-21 January 2026 – Switzerland Defence Trade Mission 2026 – Berne, Switzerland
- 27 January 2025 –Skills Bootcamp: Future Climate Leaders – Online
- 3 February 2026 – Enabling Clean Growth for UK Industries Webinar Series — Webinar 2: Enabling fuel-switching projects – Online
- 4 February 2025 – New Nuclear for Maritime: A new era for the United States – Washington, US
- 16-18 February 2026 – 2026 SMI Annual Conference – Glasgow, UK
- 3 March 2026 – Enabling Clean Growth for UK Industries Webinar Series — Webinar 3: Enabling grid connectivity and carbon capture – Online
- 10-12 March 2026 – Security and Policing 2026 – the Official UK Government Global Security Event – Farnborough, UK
- 10-12 March 2026 – Oceanology International – London, UK
- 18-19 March 2026 – Connected Places Summit 2026 – Online & London, UK
- 25-27 March 2026 – Asia Pacific Maritime 2026 – Singapore
- 31 March – 1 April 2026 – Ocean Connect Asia 2026 – Sands Expo & Convention Centre, Singapore
- 18-21 May 2026 – TRA2026 ReGeneration in transport – Budapest, Hungary
- 19-21 May 2026 – NAVALIA 2026 International Shipbuilding Exhibition – Vigo, Spain
- 31 May – 5 June 2026 – ISOPE-2026 – Orlando, USA
- 1-6 June 2026 – POSIDONIA 2026 – Athens, Greece
- 7-12 June 2026 – OMAE 2026 – Tokyo, Japan
- 16-17 June 2026 – Global Offshore Wind 2026 – Manchester, UK
- 13-17 September 2027 – London International Shipping Week – London, UK
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