MSC, Shell partner to help decarbonize global shipping industry

MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company and Shell International Petroleum Co. Ltd. are partnering to accelerate the decarbonization of the global shipping industry.

The companies signed a long-term memorandum of understanding that they say will help them “play enhanced roles in the energy transformation of shipping, as developers and early adopters of innovative technologies and fuel solutions,” according to a statement released July 16.

The companies said they plan to develop a range of safe, sustainable, and competitive technologies that can reduce emissions from existing assets and help create a net-zero emissions future for shipping.

“MSC’s efforts to [decarbonize] include strong partnerships with a range of companies across the industry,” Bud Darr, executive vice president of maritime policy and government affairs for MSC Group, said in a statement. “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.”

Shell and MSC have worked together over the last 10 years on projects that involve both biofuels and ultra-low sulphur fuels. Going forward, their teams will collaborate to develop and deploy net-zero solutions, including zero-emission fuels of the future and the technologies that will enable them, as well as energy-efficiency programs, including digital services and platforms, they said. Other projects will explore hydrogen-derived fuels and the use of methanol as a marine fuel.

“The partnership also offers an opportunity for Shell and MSC to work together to engage the industry and its stakeholders on strategic policy issues, bringing their dual perspectives with the purpose of enabling constructive dialogue and to accelerate [decarbonization] in the sector,” the companies said.