The U.K. government says it has committed, in partnership with industry, to spending more than £6 million ($7.86 million) to fund trials of "innovative energy saving devices" to help cut maritime emissions.

The money will be used to fund a range of trials on energy saving devices including on board waste heat recovery, "state of the art" propellers and rotor sails which use wind power to reduce fuel consumption.

The government said that as well as funding the trials it would provide expertise and technical backing via the Maritime and Coastguard Agency for two projects. One of the projects, in Scotland, is looking to prove the use of hydrogen fuel cells for ferries in the U.K.

"The U.K. is home to a wealth of expertise in maritime technology, but more needs to be done to move this sector towards a zero emissions world," Maritime Minister John Hayes said in a statement on Thursday.

"That's why this government is committed to backing vital technology to meet this goal, and we are looking to deepen our technical expertise to further support industry," he added.