Danish shipping giant Maersk Line has decided to suspend the MSAR trial once the remaining fuel on its test vessel has been consumed, the supplier of MSAR emulsion technology and fuel Quadrise Fuels International informed.

Although Maersk said that the trial has been successful to date, the decision was made on the back of the ship’s unscheduled dry dock visit in early March, however the drydocking and the decision to suspend “are not related.”

“Following an operational redeployment of the vessel upon completion of the dry-docking the vessel will not be able to bunker at Algeciras,”Maersk said, adding that it is currently considering alternative test vessels within its fleet for a continuation of the trial programme, though it is unlikely that the trial will be resumed before the fourth quarter of 2017.

“During the MSAR trial program Maersk has enjoyed a close and professional collaboration with both our technology partner QFI, and supply partner CEPSA, resulting in a smooth operation during which the fuel has performed well,” Niels H. Bruss, Head of Future Solutions, Maersk Line,said.

The company added that Wärtsilä will carry out a detailed inspection of the test vessel’s engine during the next few months to verify and document the performance of the test vessel while operating on MSAR fuel, with a view to issuing an Interim letter of no objection (LONO) to confirm the fuel is safe and suitable for the Wärtsilä RT-Flex engine type.

Maersk has confirmed that it wants to continue to work with Quadrise to explore the commercial options for Marine MSAR after the issuance of the Interim LONO.

“We are clearly disappointed that Maersk will have to suspend the trial for operational reasons that are unrelated to the MSAR operational trial. However, we are pleased that Maersk has reconfirmed that the trial to date has been successful and that an interim inspection will be completed in the spring, as originally scheduled,” Mike Kirk, Executive Chairman of QFI plc, said.