1,200 ‘green’ maritime jobs in NI to be filled by 2030

The drive for eco-friendly jobs comes as Maritime UK says 64,000 roles will be filled to try meet the net-zero by 2050 target.

Belfast's iconic Harland and Wolff cranes.
Author: Downtown/CoolFM Staff ReporterPublished 23rd Aug 2022
Last updated 23rd Aug 2022

The maritime sector in the UK is stepping up its recruitment efforts, with 64,000 eco-friendly roles expected to be filled by 2030.

1,200 of those ‘green’ positions are to be in Northern Ireland.

The drive in coastal areas to make waves in area like marine biology, engineering electric boats, developing eco submarines, innovative robotics and more, comes as the industry attempts to meet carbon net-zero by 2050 targets.

With jobs paying almost a third more than the national average, sector representative body Maritime UK is calling on students who have received results this August to consider maritime jobs.

One company recruiting locally is Belfast-based Artemis Technologies.

In the last 12-months, the team launched the world’s first electric workboat that can fly over the water using the same “foiler technology” as competitive sailing boats from sister company Artemis Racing.

Artemis Technolgies’ 100% electric, high-speed foiling workboat is 11.5m long, flies over the water to reduce drag – and is virtually silent.

The business, neighbouring the Titanic’s birthplace at Harland and Wolff, is continuing to invent game-changing technology.

A number of roles are currently advertised here, with more to come.

“We’ve got more workboats coming, different version of them, the ferry and boats beyond that. So, there’s a whole range of expertise needed from embedded software to finance engineering to naval architecture, so there’s space everywhere and we have got a high demand for nearly every department,” said mechanical engineer, Jordan Dorman.

Out of university just two years himself, Mr Dorman is encouraging other young people to know that they have something to bring to the table.

He said: “They have a brand new, fresh perspective on things. The lack of experience can be a good thing when you couple it with the really experienced staff – that’s how we come up with the ideas we need to make this green technology.”

That sentiment is echoed by Ben Murray, CEO at Maritime UK.

“Northern Ireland has been at the heart of shipbuilding and is reinventing itself in that space at the moment.

“We want people, who’ve either got A-Levels last week, or GCSE results this week, who are thinking ‘how do I find myself a career that is exciting, dynamic and growing’, to know that this is an industry to look at.”

Mr Murray added that there is a real desire in the industry to focus on being cleaner and greener.

“95 per cent of everything coming into the UK comes on a ship – which is already more efficient than moving in the air or on the roads and railways, but because so much globally moves on ship, I think 2 or 3 per cent or global emissions are from the maritime industry, so it’s a big industry that needs to decarbonise like everybody else does.”

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