Corporate report

Areas of research interest 2025

Published 17 November 2025

Our responsibilities  

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is an Executive Agency of the Department for Transport (DfT).

Our primary responsibilities include: 

• generation of maritime legislation and guidance and provision of safety checks and certification to ships and seafarers 
• operation of 24-hour maritime and coastal emergency response throughout the UK 
• promotion and improvement of maritime safety standards 
• protection of the marine and coastal environment whilst supporting sustainable growth 
• collaboration with DfT to deliver UK maritime strategy  

Purpose 

This areas of research interest (ARI) aims to summarise the priority research and evidence needs of the MCA. It does not exist as a list of planned or confirmed research projects but rather serves to communicate the priority themes and research questions facing the agency in the medium- to long-term in order to foster collaboration and productive knowledge exchange with researchers and the academic community.

This document will also serve to: 

• enable external researchers to align their research focus more closely with policy development and decision making at the MCA and thereby boost their research impact 
• build long-term partnerships between the MCA and external research organisations, encouraging effective co-creation, collaborative working, and transparent communication
• strengthen the evidence basis of policy development at the MCA, ensuring that decisions are well-informed by the novel scientific findings and progress
• diversify the range of research and development partners, across disciplines, backgrounds and experiences
• ensure that research commissioned by the MCA is well-targeted and that government resources are used efficiently and effectively 

This document is complementary to DfT’s areas of research interest 2023, which will be updated late 2025, and builds on the recently published DfT Science, Innovation and Technology Plan 2025.  

Scope 

This ARI is not exhaustive, and the MCA shall continue to share the more pressing and immediate research questions with research partners as and when appropriate. Research outside the outlined questions may still be relevant to the delivery of our activities. We encourage submissions from interested researchers in any discipline who think their findings may be relevant or beneficial to the work of the MCA.  

This ARI is also not intended to restrict academic freedom or constrain the focus of external research. Rather, this document is intended clarify our upcoming priority areas to guide and inform the research community in the hope that this will spark conversations and create opportunities for new research partnerships.  

Strategic priorities 

This ARI sits alongside and aims to complement the MCA’s Strategic Aims for 2025 to 2026, which support the Government’s missions.

These aims can be summarised as follows: 

Protect

We will be an effective regulator, working to remove obstacles and outdated regulations, and setting and enforcing standards to ensure shipping safety and that of the maritime environment. 

Assure

We will monitor compliance with regulations and standards and take proportionate and effective action where necessary. 

Rescue

We will deliver a highly capable service, optimising our ability to respond to environmental emergencies and assist those in distress on our coast and at sea. 

Enable

We will collaborate with the maritime industry to foster a collective ambition of growth and unlock the power of innovation for the sector. 

Transform

We will maximise the potential of our people and leverage technological advances to be agile and efficient in the delivery of our vision. 

Priority research questions 

High quality research and evidence will be necessary for the successful fulfilment of our strategic priorities, and we have identified a list of research questions that will help inform their delivery.

The research questions are structured according to overarching themes that cut across the different areas of the MCA’s organisational remit. 

1. Decarbonisation 

We aim to encourage and enable the decarbonisation of the UK maritime industry, in line with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) strategy to reduce global shipping emissions.

To be progressive regulators and effectively support industry to make this transition, we need to be well-informed by high quality evidence.

Questions on this theme include: 

1.1 What will future supply and demand patterns look like for ammonia, methanol, hydrogen, battery-electric and other alternative energy sources as it relates to shipping? 

1.2 What are the main challenges and opportunities relating to the retrofit of existing vessels within the UK fleet to use alternative fuels?  

1.3 What infrastructure is needed to fuel/ charge these vessels i.e. at a deep-sea floating wind farm, far from the UK coastline?  

1.4 What are the life cycle emissions associated with each alternative fuel type being proposed for use in the maritime sector? How do we ensure rigorous assessment across the UK supply chain? 

1.5 How do we minimise the risks involved with hydrogen, ammonia and/or nuclear-powered ships? What is an acceptable level of risk? 

1.6 What are the commercialisation prospects for ammonia-hydrogen co-combustion engines in the maritime sector? 

1.7 What are the predicted trends in the implementation and use of nuclear power in shipping? 

1.8 How does the UK fleet of service vessels and workboats need to be expanded to match the expansion of UK offshore wind?  

1.9 What is the potential to utilise carbon intensity measures to reduce UK maritime emissions? Are these enforceable? Is there a more effective carbon intensity metric?  

1.10 What measures need to be in place to ensure measurable, enforceable and effective onboard carbon capture of ship exhausts?  

1.11 How should onboard captured carbon be categorised as a cargo? What risks are associated with improper storage? 

2. Counter-pollution 

The decarbonisation of the UK maritime industry shall require the use of novel technologies and chemicals that may pose a risk to the lives of seafarers and the health of marine ecosystems. As regulators, we have a responsibility to ensure that the risk to the environment and human life is minimised.

Questions on this theme include: 

2.1 What are safety requirements for a cofferdam around each alternative fuel storage on ships and how could this change? 

2.2 What are the minimum containment requirements for the safe onboard storage of alternative fuels? And are there any gaps in existing interim guidelines (where available)?  

2.3 What are the safety implications of fluctuations in temperature, pressure, and salinity for the use and storage of alternative fuels on ships? What are the containment requirements needed to safely manage these fluctuations? 

2.4 Should a vessel using future fuels or batteries sink, what is the pollution risk and is recovery of the vessel or components justifiable? 

2.5 How can we improve surveillance of pollution at sea? What novel techniques and tools are being developed? How can this be fairly and legally enforced? 

2.6 What are the environmental and safety implications of an ammonia leak within a port? What facilities and contingency measures need to be put in place to limit these risks alongside other UK regulators? 

2.7 How effective are different chemical dispersants for the clean-up of ammonia, methanol, and other low-carbon fuels? 

2.8 What is the potential for the use of chemical herders to aid clean-up operations on different shoreline types? 

2.9 What is the potential impact of nurdle and other plastic pollution on UK shorelines and how can we improve monitoring and clean-up? 

2.10 How effective is the UK’s implementation of the Ballast Water Management Convention? 

2.11 How can the discharge of unmanaged ballast water or Ballast Water Exchange be best dynamically risk assessed within UK waters? 

2.12 How compliant are discharges of ballast water of 1) UK ships and 2) any ship within UK waters. 

3. Autonomy and digital transformation 

The development of digital technology and autonomous systems will continue to play a central role in the future of maritime.  The technology is developing rapidly, with major implications for regulation, which has so far been designed around humans.

It is crucial that the MCA remains fully informed of developments in autonomy to maintain the highest standards of safety for seafarers and the UK fleet. Information on the IMO MASS Code and UK maritime regulations can be provided as required. 

Questions on this theme include: 

3.1 Autonomous Navigation Systems will be a safety critical system aspect of autonomous ships. What standards will be required to ensure their safety can be assured both during initial approval processes and throughout the life of the system?  

3.2 In what ways could alternative search and rescue arrangements present regulatory challenges / opportunities for the role autonomous / remotely operated vessel play in search and rescue? 

3.3 To ensure safety guidance and regulations can focus on the next technological developments: 

• What tools exist or can be developed to explore/predict future development of autonomous maritime technology and autonomous shipping (of all sizes) to ensure safety guidance and regulations can focus on the next technological developments? 

• In what ways, where and how can artificial intelligence (AI) actually be deployed in maritime environment, and over what projected timeline is this most likely to happen?  

3.4 Autonomous shipping will involve complex software and systems employing aspects of AI and potentially machine learning. In what ways can the maritime sector learn from other industries on how to assure autonomous systems? Taking the following into account:  

• pros/cons of different methods to test autonomous software safely 
• different risk scenarios used for testing, and why they should be used 
• use and benefits of digital twins or virtual environments  
• standards required to ensure systems meet an acceptable level of safety 
• security of complex digital systems that are performing safety-critical operations 
• whether human input is still required to ensure rigorous safety standards are maintained 

3.5 Development / Demonstration of a maritime virtual test environment and assurance framework, with risk scenarios and “pass” requirements for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS), to demonstrate autonomously and / or remotely operated MASS meet current requirements. 

3.6 What solutions (e.g. additional guidance) would support industry to demonstrate a MASS meets proposed goal-based requirements for MASS, such as the IMO non-mandatory MASS Code (or future regulations)? And if so, how would it best be presented?

3.7 In what alternative or interactive ways can guidance and standards supporting the goal-based IMO MASS Code, be provided? 

3.8 How can one Master effectively and safely manage multiple automated / remotely operated vessels? What evidence should be provided by industry to demonstrate this can be done safely? 

3.9 What is the future role of humans in autonomous systems? In what ways will evolving vessel (and remote operation centre) design impact on regulators ability to assure these systems and spaces? 

3.10 Can ISM be used to effectively manage the oversight of Remote Operation Centres in the UK and overseas? What gaps could not be addressed using this ISM? What alternative methods could be adopted to provide assurance that ROCs are operating vessels safely? 

3.11 What infrastructure is missing or required to support MASS operations across the UK taking into consideration communications, connectivity and port development to ensure autonomous vessels can operate safely? 

4. Vessel construction 

We are determined that the UK should remain a global leader in safe and innovative vessel design and construction.

Questions on this theme include: 

4.1 Are the current stability regulations appropriate for the future UK fleet? 

4.2 How has the introduction of new stability regulations for small vessels affected incident rates? 

4.3 What is the expected impact of the upcoming 2nd generation intact stability criteria for internationally trading vessels on the UK fleet? 

4.4 To what extent can materials be recycled for vessel construction whilst maintaining structural integrity? 

4.5 What potential issues are there for material compatibility with different alternative fuels? How do we test these and establish safe usage regulations? 

4.6 What novel materials are being developed that could be used in vessel construction?  

5. Incident response 

Emergency response operations are central to the work at the MCA, and we will continue to strive to demonstrate universal best practice in our response to life-threatening emergencies and polluting incidents.

Questions on this theme include: 

5.1 How have demand patterns for Search and Rescue evolved in the recent years and into the future? Will the HM Coastguard operational zones need to be adjusted to meet future demand patterns? 

5.2 What are the evolving patterns in maritime incidents? How can we improve the collation and analysis of incident data? 

5.3 Are the existing emergency response plans for maritime incidents in overseas territories fit for purpose? 

5.4 How may the use of future fuels in shipping change the response to incidents? 

5.5 What are the emerging technologies and novel techniques for wreck retrieval? 

5.6 What is the potential impact of debris from upcoming space launches over/ near to the UK exclusive economic zone (EEZ)? 

5.7 How do we improve the modelling of potentially polluting wrecks and determine priority for retrieval? 

5.8 What factors account for the contrasting rate of safety improvement in the maritime sector compared to aviation? 

6. Trade 

We aim to foster sustainable economic growth in the UK maritime sector and to remain a key global player in international trade and shipping. To build supply chain resilience and establish effective green shipping corridors, we must remain well-informed of global developments so to better support UK ports, shippers, and vessel operators.

Questions on this theme include: 

6.1 How can we ensure the security and resilience of future supply chains of critical resources for the UK maritime sector? To which international factors are the supply chains most sensitive and how do we mitigate these disruption risks? 

6.2 What are the challenges to the implementation of green corridors and how accurate have previous feasibility studies been for successful green corridors elsewhere? 

6.3 How could the UK canal system be used effectively for the onward distribution of freight from UK ports? 

6.4 What are the optimal UK ship trade routes for wind-based vessels? 

6.5 What is the potential to minimise onward road freight from ports in favour of rail or inland waterways? 

6.6 What are the potential impacts of slower average voyages on the costs and accessibility of commercial goods in the UK? Which sectors are likely to be most impacted by longer shipping times in their supply chains? 

7. Seafarers and associated professions 

In a changing world, we are constantly working to improve support and training for all seafarers under the Red Ensign. This includes capacity building for new and emerging technologies, efforts to continually improve seafarer safety and wellbeing, and strategic planning to build a sustainable, diverse, and resilient maritime workforce.

Questions on this theme include: 

7.1 What emerging technologies are being developed that could improve safety and accessibility for seafarers with colour vision deficiency or eyesight that does not meet the current required standard?  

7.2 What is the UK training capacity and availability for the safe use of alternative fuels on vessels? What is the standard of training in other industrial sectors?  

7.3 How will autonomous technology affect the maritime workforce? What are the ethical and legal factors that should be considered?  

7.4 How will operational health guidelines and requirements like MLC need to be adapted for remote operations? What is the safe operating watch cycle for remote operators?  

7.5 How will increased automation influence the chain of command in vessel operations?   

7.6 How can recruitment and retention be improved across the maritime sector? What demographics are under-represented in the maritime workforce? Many MCA surveyors do not have a fishing/Small Domestic vessel background. How can the MCA increase recruitment of surveyors from the fishing industry?  

7.7 How can we better protect maritime rescue teams from hazardous contaminants through improve spatial monitoring and data availability?  

7.8 How has the requirement for medical certification to work on a fishing vessel impacted incident rates and safety standards onboard fishing vessels?  

7.9 How can we ensure industry compliance with regulations to protect against seafarer fatigue? How could these regulations be improved to raise safety standards?  

7.10 What tools exist to support seafarers with long-term health conditions, such as diabetes, to manage their condition at sea?  

7.11 There is believed to be significant underreporting of accidents in the fishing industry (see MAIB Annual Report 2017). As a result, the data available to design initiatives to improve safety, and to ensure that vessels which have an incident are safe to go to sea is not available. How can fishers be encouraged to report accidents to address this?  

7.12 Previous research both internationally and domestically has highlighted how the perception of risk by fishers and the subsequent management of this risk differs from other higher risk industries, this requires significant, in-depth exploration to gain a better contextual understanding and make future improvements in this area.  

7.13 How can engagement on safety issues be improved when attempting to address fishers with low levels of literacy? 

8. Regulatory improvement 

We aim to be a progressive and effective regulator and constantly seek to improve the UK maritime regulatory framework so that it is safety focussed, supporting a clean environment and prosperous economy.

Questions on this theme include: 

8.1 What opportunities are there to optimise the project delivery process within UK maritime regulation? How does the process differ in other countries globally? 

8.2 How does the maritime regulatory framework differ for other UK regulators, particularly relating to transport?  How do other UK domestic regulators engage with their industries and communicate safety messages. Are there lessons for MCA in engaging and communicating 

8.3 How does the domestic maritime regulatory framework differ in countries globally and what best practice can be applied to the UK regulatory environment? 

8.4 How could the Merchant Shipping Act be reformed to improve and optimise the regulatory framework? 

8.5 Does the MCA have appropriate powers to regulate and ensure compliance in a justifiable and proportionate way? 

8.6 Can the use of safety management systems in the fishing industry be used as an alternative to a regulatory system?

Work with us

The MCA is happy to engage with academic and industry researchers on these questions, contact us via the innovation@mcga.gov.uk mailbox.