Question reference: S6W-26142
- Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 13 March 2024
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Current status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 20 March 2024
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to encourage the use of hydrogen-powered boats and ships in Scotland.
Answer
As set out in our Hydrogen Action Plan, hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuels could play a significant role in the decarbonisation of the maritime industry.
Our long-term goal is to reduce carbon emissions very substantially by 2045 and, ideally, to eliminate them. However, this is dependent on alternative fuels becoming commercially available. This is a challenge facing the whole shipping industry.
Hydrogen may well become one of the future maritime fuels used by the global shipping fleet. However, this technology is not yet fully developed, and the decision of vessel owners to use specific maritime fuels will be determined by a number of factors. One of those factors will be availability of the fuel source, therefore we believe that working to develop a safe and economically viable supply will assist in the development of hydrogen vessels. This will ultimately be a decision for ship owners and port operators, along with the UK Government, which has policy responsibility for shipping regulations in UK waters.