Clean Shipping Alliance and Marine Fuels Alliance sign emissions cooperation agreement

Nicosia, Cyprus. The Clean Shipping Alliance (CSA) and the Marine Fuels Alliance (MFA) have signed a memorandum of understanding to support the shipping and bunker industries in meeting emissions rules and adopting alternative fuels and emissions-reduction technologies.

Technical and regulatory cooperation

The partnership combines the CSA’s expertise in exhaust gas cleaning systems and marine environmental technology with the MFA’s network and knowledge across the marine fuels supply chain.

Under the agreement, the organisations will share technical knowledge, coordinate work on regulatory pathways and promote dialogue between technology providers, fuel suppliers and ship operators.

They will also exchange technical data and research on MARPOL compliance, alternative fuels and emissions-reduction technologies.

Industry engagement

The cooperation includes regulatory advocacy at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and alongside sessions of its Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC).

It will also cover industry events focused on fleet modernisation, retrofitting and fuel quality standards, as well as practical operational guidance linking technology providers, fuel suppliers and ship operators.

Cyprus connection

The agreement has a Cyprus connection through CSA executive director Andreas Chrysostomou, a Cypriot shipping veteran who previously served as director of the Department of Merchant Shipping and chaired the MEPC from 2003 to 2013.

“Shipping’s compliance and availability challenges won’t be solved by one technology or one fuel,” Chrysostomou said.

“It needs ongoing communication between different elements of the value chain, and that’s why CSA and MFA have signed this MoU,” he continued.

“Technologies, fuels and regulation cannot be considered in isolation, and by working together we can bring together complementary expertise, improve the exchange of technical knowledge and contribute to solutions that are both environmentally effective and operationally realistic,” Chrysostomou added.