Qatargas, the Maersk Group and Shell signed on Monday a memorandum of understanding to explore the development of LNG as a marine fuel in the Middle East region.
Under the deal, the partners will explore the development of new markets for LNG to be used as propulsion fuel for merchant vessels.
This can contribute to “ improve the environmental footprint of merchant shipping which currently relies predominantly on heavy fuel oils ,” Qatargas, the world’s largest LNG producer, said in a statement on Monday.
The MOU envisages LNG supplies for this initiative to be made available from Qatargas 4, a joint venture between Qatar Petroleum and Shell Gas, with Maersk Line potentially using the fuel for its merchant vessels, the statement added.