Royal Navy aims to create one of the world’s greenest fleets
The Royal Navy is aiming to create one of the world’s greenest fleets, from infrastructure in dockyards, the technology on warships and the operations carried out around the globe. This plan has been kickstarted by the Navy’s first ‘net zero’ carbon building, based in Portsmouth, UK.
The Royal Navy’s eight new type 26 frigates will be painted with environmentally friendly, anti-fouling paint to limit marine growth, while the vessel underwent a hydrodynamic redesign to add speed without the need for larger engines.
The Queen Elizabeth Carrier Forward Logistics Centre in Portsmouth Naval Base is completely solar-powered, from the lights to the heating and computer systems, and even the forklift trucks. This centre is the first ‘net zero’ carbon building in the Navy.
The £7m logistics hub contains the spare parts, tools and documentation the carriers need during maintenance periods. The base has already won three environmental awards.
Image courtesy of Sarah Standing / Portsmouth News
The £7m logistics hub contains the spare parts, tools and documentation the carriers need during maintenance periods. The base has already won three environmental awards.
New patrol ships HMS Tamar and Spey, which are on long-term deployments to the Indo-Pacific, have catalytic reduction systems to reduce nitrous oxide emissions, while icebreaker HMS Protector supports international research into wildlife and climate change in Antarctica and Royal Navy patrol ships deployed across the globe regulate fishing stocks.
All of this is a boost to green ambitions during the UK’s ‘Net Zero Week’, designed to raise awareness about climate change as the UK looks to reduce all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.
The base’s commanding officer, Commodore John Voyce, says: “Portsmouth Naval Base has established many low-carbon initiatives in order to achieve our target of being carbon-neutral.
“This includes electric vehicles and charging points, installation of wind turbines, and of course the construction and opening of our first carbon-neutral building in June this year – the first Royal Navy infrastructure construction to be Net Zero in operation.
“I am delighted to support and contribute to the government’s carbon reduction goals, and Team Portsmouth will continue to work on many more exciting actions to further improve our carbon footprint, not just for the Royal Navy and our base, but for the future of the city of Portsmouth as well.”
The Royal Navy is also setting a sustainability standard for its serving warships. Before deploying on operations, every crew and their ship must meet the exacting standards of the Fleet Operational Sea Training teams based in Plymouth.
In addition, from next year, ships will be recognised if they meet sustainability standards under what will be known as the Green Pennant scheme.
Meanwhile, at HMS Collingwood in Fareham, Hampshire, £2.4m has been invested in building management systems, which have been installed to monitor and control energy usage, while conservation projects are being undertaken across the Royal Navy’s bases and stations as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy project, which marks Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee.
