Major funding for UK trust port Harwich Haven Authority and its partner PurpleSector from Department for Transport

28 October 2024

PurpleSector and major trust port Harwich Haven Authority (HHA) are excited to announce that they have been awarded a £177,000 grant from the Department for Transport (DfT), Smart Shipping Acceleration Fund (SSAF) as announced on 17 October 2024.

The partnership has been developed to explore innovative solutions for port operations and the project, SEAS (Smart Efficient Automated Scheduling), will utilise motorsport-derived concepts to optimise scheduling, reduce carbon emissions, and lower costs.

Sarah West, CEO, Harwich Haven Authority commented: “This is great news and we’re confident that the outcomes from the feasibility study will be of great benefit to our customers utilising the facilities at Haven ports.

“We’re very excited to be working with leading motorsport technology innovators PurpleSector on the SEAS smart optimisation project as we look to both reduce carbon emissions and implement smart technology to both streamline and improve the capabilities of our operations.”

PurpleSector CEO Mark Mathieson MBE added: “Our innovative techniques have the potential to revolutionise carbon reduction in port operations as well as delivering operational benefits. We’re fortunate to collaborate with such a forward-thinking and environmentally conscious partner as Harwich Haven Authority.”

The feasibility study, which will run from November 2024 to March 2025, will focus on HHA’s Pilot Launch vessel operations, evaluating the feasibility of applying SEAS technology to enhance efficiency and sustainability. If successful, the project will move forward to a full proof of concept development.

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Contact: Fiona Brunning, Corporate Affairs Manager, Harwich Haven Authority – [email protected] or call 07425 632090

Notes for Editors
The UK Government has allocated £206m Research and Development (R&D) funding to UK SHORE, a programme within the Department for Transport focused on decarbonising the maritime sector. UK SHORE is delivering a suite of interventions between 2022 and 2025 aimed at accelerating the design, manufacture and operation of UK-made clean maritime technologies and unlocking an industry-led transition to Net Zero. Flagship competitions include the Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure (ZEVI) scheme and the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC).

The UK SHORE programme includes the Smart Shipping Acceleration Fund which provides match-funding to help bring pre-commercial smart shipping technologies closer to market readiness. SSAF allocated £8m to 31 projects across the UK to deliver innovative feasibility studies between November 2024 – March 2025. The projects are supported by over 103 partners and will leverage more than £3m of private investment.

The partnership
PurpleSector and Harwich Haven Authority are perfectly positioned to deliver this feasibility project. PurpleSector, founded to transfer Formula 1 expertise to commercial applications, will utilise experience of motorsport systems to contextualise the schedule optimisation information, presenting to the operator meaningful insights, integrated with existing software displays. Harwich Haven Authority as the problem owner, will bring the voice of the customer to the project, providing direction on the practicality and deliverability of the technical approach, plus the economics required for the business model.