MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) and Shell International Petroleum Company Limited (Shell) have agreed to work closely together to help accelerate the decarbonization of the global shipping sector.
MSC said the long-term memorandum of understanding (MoU) will help MSC and Shell to play enhanced roles in the energy transformation of shipping.
It added that the companies plan to develop a range of safe, sustainable, and competitive technologies that can reduce emissions from existing assets and help to enable a net-zero emissions future for shipping.
Set of solutions to decarbonize shipping
"MSC’s efforts to decarbonise include strong partnerships with a range of companies across the industry. This partnership with Shell is a great example of the type of commitment that is needed to catalyse low-carbon solutions for the shipping sector," said Bud Darr, EVP Maritime Policy and Government Affairs, MSC Group.
"To reach that ultimate goal of complete decarbonisation, we must look at a set of solutions. We need significant advances in research and development and fuel development," Darr added, noting that collaboration is key to attaining zero emissions in the industry.
MSC said it had worked with Shell for over the last 10 years on projects, including bunkering biofuels and trialling very and ultra-low sulphur fuels.
"MSC and Shell technical and commercial teams will collaborate to develop and deploy net-zero solutions such as zero-emission fuels of the future and the technologies that will enable them, including fuel cells, with the ambition of contributing towards a zero-carbon flexi-fuel concept vessel. They will also work together on energy efficiency technologies, including digital services and platforms," it said.
LNG usage in MSC
MSC noted that together with Shell, it will explore opportunities for MSC to use LNG in its fleet, as the lowest emissions fuel widely available today.
They will also consider future pathways, including methane-slip abatement technologies that will further bring down LNG’s emissions.
