Consulting firm CGI has secured UK government funding for MaritimeTwin, a new digital twin project aiming to reduce shipping emissions by up to 15%.

Developed with Maritime UK and Heriot-Watt University’s IDRIC, the project will combine satellite data with digital twin technology – a virtual representation of a real-world object or system – to optimise vessel routing, bunker fuel use and emissions monitoring, the firm said in an emailed statement on Thursday

It will use CGI’s DataTwin360 and EcoHub platforms, supporting the UK’s Clean Maritime Plan and net-zero targets.

The initiative is funded under the UK SHORE-backed Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition Round 6, which supports pre-deployment trials of clean shipping technologies.

“This award enables the development of a demonstrator that leverages real-time data to deliver tangible impact across the maritime sector,” Mattie Yeta, chief sustainability officer at CGI UK, said.