Quadrise Fuels International PLC (LON:QFI) has inked a partnership deal with a subsidiary of MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, for a trial of the group's MSAR fuel with its fleet of commercial container vessels.
It is envisaged that the partnership will capitalise on Quadrise’s skills in emulsion fuel application and its use in large diesel engines along with MSC’s vast shipping industry experience.
The trial will begin in 2021 and it is envisaged that in Phase 1 the company’s MSAR fuel will be used to power a large MAN ME and/or a Wärtsilä/WinGD Flex 2-stroke engine, in order to obtain ‘letter of no objection’ from the respective engine manufacturers.
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This would allow subsequent use of the fuel in vessels in the MSC fleet – subject to further commercial agreements between the parties.
"Quadrise is delighted to have signed this agreement with MSC and we look forward to working alongside them to progress this excellent opportunity,” said Jason Miles, Quadrise Fuels CEO in a statement.
“We believe that MSC's large modern fleet installed with electronic engines and, in some cases, exhaust gas cleaning systems (scrubbers) is well-positioned to realise the economic and environmental benefits of MSAR and bioMSARTM and we look forward to realising the project and getting the trials underway in 2021."
Prabhat Jha, chief executive of MSC Shipmanagement added: “MSC is looking forward to working with the Quadrise team under the JDA in 2021 to scope out the operational trials of MSAR on our container vessels.
“We are particularly interested in the potential environmental benefits of MSAR® and bioMSARTM that, alongside the economic benefits, reflect our approach to operating a modern MSC fleet, and fit well with our overall future fuels strategy."
Geneva-headquartered MSC is one of the world’s largest shipping and logistics companies, present across 155 countries, with 560 vessels and around 70,000 staff. The company operates across some 200 trade routes, calls at 500 ports and usually carries 21mln shipping units per year.