A green revolution begins at Portsmouth International Port

Portsmouth International Port has been awarded £19.8m from the Zero Emissions Vessels and Infrastructure competition (ZEVI), funded by UK Government and delivered in partnership with Innovate UK. Our South West Hub, the University of Portsmouth, is part of the project that will assist with the wider city’s ambition to reach net zero by 2030.

With this grant, Portsmouth International Port will embark on a ground-breaking decarbonisation project, The SEA CHANGE project. This project will design, build and operate a ‘shore power’ system across the three busiest berths at Portsmouth International Port. This allows visiting ferry or cruise ships to turn off their engines when at port, as they will be able to ‘plug-in’ and use green electricity to run their onboard systems. The Sea Change project has been designed by the council in conjunction with Brittany Ferries, the University of Portsmouth, MSE International, B4T, IOTICS and Swanbarton.

A green revolution in maritime

The SEA CHANGE project is set to revolutionise the UK’s maritime sector. The funding comes ahead of the arrival of two hybrid ships from Brittany Ferries which are due to begin sailing in the spring of 2025 and will be able to make use of shore power. Providing shore power will improve air quality around the port due to reducing harmful emissions, saving an estimated 20,000 tones of CO2e per annum from 2027.

Bringing in university expertise

The University of Portsmouth brings academic expertise in data science, smart power grids, innovation, and environmental impact analysis. They will also align skills development to meet regional need.