Rhys BerryMediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has become the latest member to join industry coalition SEA-LNG.
In recent years, MSC, which is also a partner and member of the Methane Abatement in Maritime Innovation Initiative (MAMII) and the Society for Gas as a Marine Fuel (SGMF), has made investments in LNG-fuelled vessels in the different sectors it operates within. In 2022 the company saw its first five newbuilding dual-fuel LNG capable container vessels in operation. In the cruise sector, the company has launched the MSC World Europa and MSC Euribia. As previously reported, the latter’s maiden voyage was powered by bio-LNG.
‘We are committed to catalysing the development, accessibility and uptake of net zero fuels and believe we have found another excellent partner to help continue to drive the industry in this direction. We look forward to working with SEA-LNG to further assess and collaborate on the exciting long-term prospects of bio-LNG, and particularly renewable synthetic LNG, as mainstream marine fuel molecules,’ said Bud Darr, Executive Vice President, Maritime Policy & Government Affairs MSC Group.
‘In alignment with our net zero commitments by 2050, we view fossil-based LNG as a fuel in transition, and fully expect bio and renewable synthetic LNG to be a key part of our longer-term multi-fuel strategy for deploying net zero fuels.’
As Bunkerspot reported last week, recent analysis by SEA-LNG shows that bio-LNG is available today in almost seventy ports worldwide, including in Singapore, Rotterdam and the US east-coast.
Peter Keller, Chairman of SEA-LNG, commented: ‘As one of the world’s leading shipping companies, MSC’s decision to work with our coalition of companies across the LNG value chain demonstrates its confidence in the LNG pathway as a viable solution for flexibly advancing shipping along its decarbonisation journey.’
Image: SEA-LNG
Ian Taylor
