MarRI-UK Maritime Roundup #142

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October 2026
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MarRI-UK

The past week highlighted continued investment in skills, ports and maritime infrastructure, alongside new policy developments supporting future sector growth. Decarbonisation and digitalisation remained key themes, with advances in alternative fuel deployment, AI-enabled operations and autonomous maritime technologies.

Highlight

  • The Scottish Government are investing £10 million to develop two Defence Technical Excellence Colleges (DTECs) for Scotland to support the development of skills for well-paid careers in areas such as defence engineering, advanced manufacturing, and maritime technology. Read more
  • Revised National Policy Statement for Ports was published by DfT Read more  Download
  • Consultation on methodology for assessing marine navigation safety and emergency response risks of fin/shellfish and seaweed/algal farms Read more

MarRI-UK Member’s and Partner’s News

  • (10/10) MOD and QinetiQ revolutionising access to Test and Evaluation facilities for SMEs, delivering new tech into service faster. Read more
  • (12/10) BAE Systems unveils next-generation directed energy and kinetic defense systems at AUSA. Two dynamic capability demonstrators – the Multi-Domain Artillery Cannon System and High Power Microwave – present scalable, layered C-UAS options to the U.S. Army.Read more
  • (12/10) Lloyd’s Register and Sagar Defence signed an MoU to develop certification and assurance pathways for autonomous maritime systems, helping accelerate commercial and defence-sector deployment. Read more
  • (13/10) Babcock Apprenticeship opportunities are now live Read more
  • (13/10) Lloyd’s Register, Shell and GTT to explore hybrid-electric 200,000m³ LNG carrier concept. The project will explore how hybrid-electric propulsion and GTT NEXT1®cargo containment system technology could support potential improvements in LNG transport efficiency.Read more
  • (14/10) Lloyd’s Register ranked first in KOSHIPA assessment of classification services. Read more
  • (14/10) MCA Awards 2026 recognition for BMT consultant Dr Tim Curtis’s contribution to thought leadership. Read more
  • (14/10) Kuasar UK introduced BLUEWAKE 400B-A, the latest addition to their zero-emission fast passenger ferry family, developed to meet the demands of open-sea operations. Read more
  • (14/10) Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute (SMMI) published a study mapping the history and growth of marine autonomy in the UK, documenting key technologies, projects and organisations shaping the sector’s development Read more
  • (15/10) BAE Systems has been awarded a contract from U.S. Space Force for space resilient satellite communications terminals. Read more
  • (17/10) Babcock partners with The 5% Club to launch Apprenticeship Talent Bridge, a new initiative designed to connect talented apprenticeship applicants with small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) across the defence supply chain and local employer communities. Read more
  • (17/10) Britain’s biggest warship HMS Prince of Wales returns to North Atlantic, bolstering security of NATO’s Northern Flank. Read more

UK Maritime

  • (12/10) DP World completes Southampton’s £60 million crane investment, boosting container capacity and strengthening the UK’s global trade connections. Read more
  • (13/10) New analysis points to ports becoming critical sites for shore power, battery storage, vessel charging infrastructure and wider energy resilience projects. Read more
  • (13/10) Margaritaville at Sea’s Beachcomber arrives in Belfast for major transformation at Harland & Wolff. Read more
  • (13/10) Aqua superPower installs marine fast charger at Lymington Harbour for electric commercial and leisure vessels as part of The Electric Seaway project a £3.2 million UK Government-funded project to expand marine charging access along the south coast. Read more
  • (14/10) The Department for Transport has released its monthly Official Statistics for the UK Ship Register, covering vessel movements on the register up to August 2026. Read more
  • (14/10) ACUA Ocean and Forssea Robotics Complete Successful ROV–USV Integration. Read more
  • (14/10) Gosport Marina to expand fuel storage in £370,000 upgrade replacing the existing 6,000-litre unleaded fuel tank with a 30,000-litre facility Read more
  • (15/10) New report by BPA shows UK investment, not carbon leakage, behind container growth Read more
  • (15/10) Industry welcomes decision by Skills England to retain key maritime apprenticeships Read more
  • (16/10) Report highlights early benefits of CCS for UK growth Read more

Newly added Funding Opportunities (access the full list via MarRI-UK: Maritime Funding Opportunities)

Events Highlight (Full event list can be found at the end of the roundup)

Key events in the coming month:

Publications

  • BPA published report: Drivers of UK container growth Download
  • LR published Guidance Notes for Retrofit of Alternative Fuels and Energy Saving Devices  Download
  • DfT published Revised National Policy Statement for Ports Download

Global Maritime News

Clean Maritime

  • (13/10) The world’s first commercial green ammonia ship-to-ship bunkering completed in China’s Zhoushan. Read more
  • (14/10) MPA, CMA CGM and SLNG to study liquefied bio-methane supply and bunkering in Singapore Read more
  • (15/10) RoRo to Transport Airbus Components is Fitted with Six Rotor Sails Read more
  • (15/10) South China’s largest electric-powered inland container ship Sui Gang Dian Hang 02 has started its maiden voyage Read more
  • (15/10) Hong Kong completed its first LNG bunkering operation for a car carrier. Read more
  • (16/10) As more dual fuel vessels join the global fleet speakers at SIBCON 2026 highlighted that demand for alternative fuels had not materialised at the same rate Read more
  • (18/10) World’s largest ethanol bunkering on Maersk ship in Singapore Read more
  • (18/10) A Japanese consortium led by NYK Line has completed the first ship-to-ship ammonia bunkering to an ammonia-fueled vessel Read more

Smart Maritime

  • (14/10) The end of the lag: Maritime meets AI in real time. Read more
  • (15/10) Unmanned Vessel Deploys With Carrier Strike Group for the First Time Read more
  • (15/10) The Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism announced the next stage of its “AI terminal that supports people” programme, extending automation beyond terminal operations into gate automation and traffic management.  Read more
  • (15/10) n0n extortion claims target 38 global maritime and logistics organizations, raising port data exposure concerns Read more

Nuclear propulsion for shipping

  • (13/10) American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and the US Department of Energy signed an agreement to advance floating nuclear power solutions, nuclear-powered vessels and supporting shipyard infrastructure. Read more
  • (14/10) US based Bluecore Energy secured its first supply of low-enriched uranium, marking a key step towards deploying floating maritime nuclear power systems. Read more

Ports

Global Shipping

  • (14/10) Global container volumes reached a record in August, while rising freight prices highlighted mounting pressures across shipping markets. Read more
  • (14/10) Dubai Maritime City has signed 18 leases in nine months, boosting revenue sixfold as ship repair and manufacturing expand, generating six times the revenue recorded during the same period last year. Read more

Shipbuilding

  • (12/10) South Korea launches $1bn shipyard AI drive Read more
  • (13/10) Hengli Heavy Industry bags 11 VLAC orders Read more
  • (13/10) New York-listed containership owner Global Ship Lease (GSL) has secured a $1bn syndicated loan facility to finance its expanding newbuilding programme. Read more
  • (14/10) Rolls-Royce Power Systems has signed a licensing agreement with Saudi Engines Manufacturing Company (Makeen) to manufacture and assemble mtu Series 2000 marine engines in Saudi Arabia. Read more
  • (16/10) Greek tanker owner Liquimar Tankers has been linked to an order for three suezmax newbuildings in China, adding fresh crude carrier capacity after cashing in on the strong secondhand tanker market. Read more

Subsea & Offshore

  • (12/10) DOF Group ASA – Awarded Subsea Decommissioning Contract in the North Sea. Read more
  • (13/10) Kongsberg Maritime secures contract for four offshore wind CSOVs with Integrated Wind Solutions. Read more
  • (16/10) Worley Rosenberg has been awarded a fabrication contract by Subsea7 for subsea structures and spools supporting Phase II of Norway’s Northern Lights CCS project Read more

Maritime Events Archive