Port Network Oil Shipping in Freefall as Ferries and Containers Surge – NatPower Marine Fast-Tracks Clean Port Network
(London, 26 August 2025) – New UK Government forecasts have revealed a dramatic shift in UK port traffic: oil and fossil fuel cargoes are set to collapse while ferries and container shipping surge, reshaping the country’s maritime economy.
According to the Department for Transport’s UK Port Freight Traffic Forecasts (2024–2050), oil and oil product volumes will plunge by 63% by 2050, while unitised freight such as ferries, Ro-Ro and containers will rise by 57%, making up more than half of all UK port traffic.
The UK has seen a significant reduction in crude oil refining, with just 6 operational refineries today from 18 in the 1970s. The reliance on oil is dwindling and will only accelerate as the motor and energy sectors increasingly move towards sustainable options and demand for fossil-based products falls.
With growth concentrated in vessel types best suited to electrification, experts warn that ports must rapidly roll out clean charging infrastructure to keep pace.
NatPower Marine is already moving ahead. The UK-based developer is investing £100 million with Peel Ports Group to electrify eight major UK and Irish ports, creating the first green shipping corridors across the Irish Sea. By 2030, NatPower will deliver £250 million shorepower infrastructure, a global network of 120 clean ports, designed around the busiest commercial routes. By extension, this will significantly improve air quality in port towns and cities, improving public health.
Stefano D. M. Sommadossi, CEO of NatPower Marine UK, said:
“The Government’s forecasts confirm the end of oil’s dominance in shipping. The future is electrified ferries and containers and without charging infrastructure, ports will become the new bottleneck. We’re building the global network that ensures vessels can run cleanly, efficiently, and commercially.”
NatPower Marine’s network, developed with cruise, ferry and shipping operators, is designed to tackle Scope 3 emissions, the indirect vessel emissions that make up the bulk of a port’s carbon footprint. Switching from bunker fuels to electricity can cut CO2, NOx and SOx emissions in port by up to 95%, dramatically improving local air quality.
By combining grid-scale battery storage with smart charging, the company says ports can treat electricity as a new “fuel”, managing surges when ships dock without destabilising the grid.
For further information and to arrange interviews, please contact:
Sue Terpilowski Image Line
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About NatPower Marine
NatPower Marine, part of the NatPower Group, is developing the largest independent network of ship charging facilities to provide clean electricity for propulsion and cold ironing as part of a fully integrated Smart Energy Transition-as-a-Service solution to the global maritime sector.
The company develops the essential end-to-end infrastructure required for the decarbonisation of global supply chain routes, providing shore power to support the electrification of ships for propulsion and cold ironing at berth, at anchor, and offshore.
The NatPower Group is a global energy transition developer with approximately 30 GW of natural power projects, with a presence in the UK, USA, Italy, and Kazakhstan, among others. The company has an ambitious expansion plan to become the largest and fastest growing global energy transition enabler. NatPower H, a subsidiary of NatPower Group, is currently building the world’s first green hydrogen refuelling station infrastructure for pleasure yachting.
About NatPower UK
NatPower UK is a sister company to NatPower Marine. NatPower UK has one of the largest clean energy development portfolios in the UK and will bring over 60 GWh of battery storage online in the UK by 2040, integrating large scale smart clean energy generation and distribution with large scale intermittent clean energy demand
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