The government's maritime minister visited the Isle of Wight today (Thursday), as a £206 million investment to support the sector in becoming greener was announced.

East Cowes's Wight Shipyard provided the backdrop as Robert Courts laid out the UK SHORE plan to make work boats, cruises, ferries greener and cleaner.

The aim, he said, was to work towards zero emissions in the maritime sector and to boost skilled jobs.

Speaking to the Isle of Wight County Press after a tour of the Island's shipyard, Mr Courts, who is MP for Witney & West Oxfordshire, said: "I cannot exaggerate how impressed I am. This is a truly world leading facility. As I've been round, I've seen some absolutely bang-up-to-the minute vessels that are being created for passenger and research purposes."

He said: "I've seen some aluminium crafts, which are going to be lighter and able to travel further, using less emissions than ever before.

"The importance of Wight Shipyards to the Isle of Wight, to the south of England and to the UK's maritime sectors is absolutely vast."

What does the government want from the maritime sector?

The government wants the industry to design lighter, more fuel efficient boats. The 'sell' to the industry is they would cost less to run, because they use less fuel, helping cut emissions.

Wight Shipyard is already on the leading edge of innovation when it comes to developing efficient vessels.

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What did the Wight Shipyard boss have to say?

Isle of Wight County Press:

Wight Shipyard CEO Peter Moreton said: "We are probably leading the world in a number of areas. It's not just a case of being cleaner, it's actually fuel savings and that relates to the bottom line.

"We recently built four boats for Malta. The boats were not the cheapest you could buy in the world, but when you take into consideration the fuel savings over a ten year period, the greenness relates back into economics.

"The less fuel you burn at current prices, not only is it cleaner, it's also cheaper." 

Today's announcement is its biggest ever, says the government, in the commercial maritime sector.

"What that's intended to do is really kickstart the innovation the UK is so good at," said Mr Courts. 

"We'll get private investment into the next generation of ships, which will be lighter, cleaner, greener than ever before.

"This is a big step forward for the government and we hope, above all, this will also help economically, because for places like Wight Shipyard, you're going to have more high-skilled jobs, which will help locally. It also means you can export this technology all over the world."

Isle of Wight County Press: Robert Courts MP and Wight Shipyard's Peter Morton.Robert Courts MP and Wight Shipyard's Peter Morton.

Planning expansion already, Mr Morton's message was clear: "I guess my message to the government is we don't need money, we'd like orders.

"If the government can move orders from traditional heavy, old, smelly diesels to more technologically advanced lighter vessels, it'll be win win.

"It'll be less fuel, it'll be jobs, it'll be manufactured in the UK and much less emissions."

Robert Courts is confident the sector will embrace the move to improve efficiency: "They don't really need convincing because they understand the importance of decarbonisation as much as anyone else. 

"There's also efficiencies in terms of costs as well, because if you're spending less on fuel then you'll be helping the environment and you'll be greener as well.

"In the fullness of time, as we get to green shipping and ultimately zero emission shipping, then clearly as much much cheaper." 

What was the Isle of Wight Council Leader's message?

Isle of Wight County Press: Cllr Lora Peacey Wilcox.Cllr Lora Peacey Wilcox.

Also on hand to meet the minister was Isle of Wight Council Leader, Lora Peacey Wilcox, whose message was to "invest in the Isle of Wight."

"We're entrepreneurial. We should be very proud of our shipbuilding heritage over the years," she said, praising Wight Shipyard CEO Peter Morton.

Mr Courts said: "We were the first country in the world to have a clean maritime plan.

"The key thing is that it's everybody working together: All parts of government, with manufacturers, with operators and the entirety of the maritime sector."