Research group

Maritime Decarbonisation

A cargo ship leaving a harbour

The Maritime Decarbonisation SIG drives eco-friendly shipping through collaboration and innovation, addressing environmental impact, regulations, and economic opportunities, in response to global challenges.

About

The Maritime Decarbonisation SIG is at the forefront of tackling the critical issue of maritime decarbonisation. This SIG recognises the profound importance of its mission for several reasons:

  • it strives to address the substantial environmental impact of the maritime industry. As one of the largest contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions, the industry's carbon footprint poses a severe threat to our planet. 
  • it is a proactive response to this environmental challenge, aiming to reduce emissions and promote a more sustainable future, including amid initiatives to develop global sectoral targets.
  • it will also contribute to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Furthermore, the SIG is committed to ensuring that the maritime sector meets its regulatory commitments, especially in the context of emerging technologies such as autonomous vessels. Stringent regulations are necessary to enhance the safety, efficiency, and sustainability of maritime transportation. By focusing on these commitments, the SIG plays a pivotal role in promoting responsible industry practices.

While some may perceive maritime decarbonisation initiatives as costly, the SIG sees them as economic opportunities. Transitioning to greener shipping practices can lead to cost savings and new business prospects. By driving innovation and fostering sustainable solutions, the SIG helps industry players prosper in a changing global market.

International collaboration is another pillar of the SIG's efforts. The maritime sector operates on a global scale, and it is essential for stakeholders to work together to achieve meaningful results. International collaboration facilitates the sharing of best practices, technological innovations, and policy frameworks that can accelerate the industry's transformation in response to global challenges.

Through a multi-faceted approach that encompasses environmental responsibility, regulatory compliance, economic benefits, international collaboration, and alignment with national commitments, this SIG is driving positive change and shaping a more sustainable and prosperous future for all. 

To find out more about the Maritime Decarbonisation Special Interest Group and what we do, get in touch with group champion Seyedvahid Vakili, Panos Manias and Damon Teagle.

Join the SMMI Community to sign up to this group, and any others of interest to you.

People, projects and publications

People

Professor Simon Blainey PhD, FRGS, FHEA, MCIHT, CMILT

Professor of Sustainable Transport

Research interests

  • Rail demand and operations modelling
  • GIS and transport
  • Transport decision support systems

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Dr Simon Boxall

Principal Teaching Fellow
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Professor Simon Cox

Head of Department

Research interests

  • My research focusses on computational tools, technologies and platforms and how they enable interdisciplinary problems to be solved in engineering and science.His team in the Computational Engineering and Design Group is applying and developing high performance and cloud computing in a variety of collaborative interdisciplinary computational science and engineering projects. These include:
  • High Performance and novel Computing SystemsCloud Computing and commercial distributed computing - which led to a spin out companyApplied computational algorithms Computational electromagnetics– which led to the formation of a spin-off company.New algorithms such as meshless methods and fast solvers.Data Management Simon is also Director of the Microsoft Institute for High Performance computing where he demonstrates why, where and how current and future Microsoft tools and technologies can be exploited to enable engineering and scientific research to deliver faster, cheaper and better results.
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Professor Stephanie Jones

Professor of Literature and Law

Research interests

  • Literature and Law
  • Postcolonial and decolonial studies
  • Marine and maritime literatures
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Professor Stephen Boyd BEng, MSc, PhD

Professor

Research interests

  • Maritime Composites
  • Experimental and Numerical mechanics
  • Non-contact full-field techniques for validation of numerical models
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Professor Stephen Roberts

Professor of Geology
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Professor Stephen Turnock

Head of School

Research interests

  • His fluid dynamics expertise lies in the synthesis of analytical, experimental and computational methods for a diverse range of applications. Examples of such work are in the development of a patented integrated tidal energy generator (winner of The Engineers’ Energy Sector Innovation award 2008), supervision of the students who designed Amy Williams’ Gold medal winning bob skeleton sled (winner of The Engineer’s Sport Technology Innovation award in 2010) and with continued support for Gold medal success in 2014 and 2018, academic supervisor for the Delphin Autonomous underwater vehicle (winner of the SAUC-E competition in 2007).
  • He has acted as a consultant to diverse organisations including NOC, Speedo, Shell Shipping, BAEsystems, Rolls Royce, dstl, QinetiQ, and WS Atkins.
  • Expertise: Future Fuels for Shipping; Maritime Robotics and Autonomy; Rudder, hydrofoil, and control surface design; Unsteady race simulation for kayak, rowing and sailing; Hull-propeller-rudder interaction; Ship added resistance and manoeuvring in waves; Underwater noise prediction using CFD; Experimental techniques for use of wave/tow tank testing; Tidal turbines, wave energy and offshore wind turbine design; Wind turbine array power prediction; Hydrogen fuel cells for hybrid ship propulsion; Hydrodynamics of swimming assessment by pool based test techniques and using CFD.

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Professor Steve Darby

Associate Dean Research

Research interests

  • River and coastal flooding - relationships between geomorphology and flooding in rivers and deltas
  • Biogeomorphology - interactions between river processes and life
  • River bank erosion processes

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Mrs Sue Brindle

Institute Coordination Manager
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Professor Suleiman Sharkh BEng, PhD, CEng, MIET

Prof of Electrical Machines and Drives

Research interests

  • Electric Machines
  • Power Electronics
  • Microgrids

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Related research institutes, centres and groups

Related research institutes, centres and groups

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Enquiries

If you're interested in joining us or collaborating, get in touch with the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute.