Malin Group & Partners Take the Next Step To a Cleaner Way to Build with MariLight 2

Malin Marine Consultants, part of Malin Group and specialists in the marine industry, have been awarded support through the latest round of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC4), for MariLight 2, an ambitious, forward-thinking project that seeks to develop Large Scale Additive Manufacturing (LSAM) technologies that will revolutionise the way ships, boats and other marine structures are designed and fabricated in the UK, creating an innovative, sustainable, and comprehensive manufacturing framework towards decarbonisation targets.

In the UK there is considerable emphasis on reducing emissions to reach greener maritime transport solutions, with the stated target of decarbonising all sectors to achieve ‘net zero’ by 2050. To do so, current design and manufacturing processes must be investigated and improved upon.

MariLight 2 will bring together eight cross-sectoral organisations, leaders in their fields including design, manufacturing, and technology providers, to develop and deliver these new design and fabrication processes. Five of the MariLight 2 partners worked together in the original MariLight feasibility project (CMDC2) and are now working together to take those developments to pre-deployment stage; printing, certifying and functionally testing optimised structural steel components.

Regulation, approval, and certification of these new products and processes is an integral part of MariLight 2, and consortium member Lloyd’s Register is undertaking the role of regulator within the project, working with the partners to develop guidance that will become the standard for additive manufactured components in the marine environment.

Chris Dunn, Managing Director of Malin Marine Consultants stated, “This is an exciting project which may fundamentally change the way in which the industry works. It may transform not only the types of vessels we create, but the means and manner by which we do so, producing better working conditions, reduced emissions, and energy savings. As such, it resonates with the UK’s maritime aspirations, drawing insights from the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) and the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC), while representing the UK’s commitment to a sustainable maritime future.

We are incredibly thankful for the support from the DfT and Innovate UK, as well as our partners in the project consortium – we cannot wait to kick things off.”

Malin Marine Consultants will be joined in this project by a host of industry experts, including Altair Engineering, BAE Systems, Lloyd’s Register, Hexagon, Siccar, Caley Ocean Systems (part of the Pryme Group), and the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS).

Adam Saxty, Lead Additive Manufacturing Technologist at Lloyd’s Register stated, “Lloyd’s Register is committed to supporting the maritime industry in its efforts to decarbonise and build the resilience of the total infrastructure, shipping, and supply chains that global transportation and trade routes rely upon. Additive manufacturing is helping to achieve this. However, significant barriers exist to ensuring quality and safety. MariLight 2 is an excellent opportunity to tackle this in a measured, regulated yet practical way.”

Successful project delivery outcomes are predicted to contribute significantly to the UK economy, creating new market opportunities worth around £300M, safeguarding and creating over 300 jobs, and generating indirect employment for 5,000 individuals by 2030 across the UK. The deliverables are poised to increase large-scale manufacturing production capacity, reliability and productivity, and reduce operational costs, such as delay and manual handling, by up to 90%.

MariLight 2 is predicted to significantly decrease the use of steel in manufacturing -with projected savings of 3 million tonnes of steel in global shipbuilding annually. It will also mitigate approximately 12 million tonnes of CO2, aligning with the UK’s net zero 2050 target. This exciting project is part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition Round 4 (CMDC4), funded by the UK Department for Transport (DfT) and delivered by Innovate UK. CMDC4 is part of the Department’s UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) programme, a £206m initiative focused on developing the technology necessary to decarbonise the UK domestic maritime sector.

CMDC4 follows the successful first three rounds of the CMDC, which allocated over £95m to 105 projects. CMDC1 was launched in 2021, prior to UK SHORE, with CMDC2 in 2022.