France Backs Bunker Desulfurisation Project

Ecoslops says the French government has awarded the company a €200,000 grant in support of a MDO desulfurisation project.

Ecoslops, which recycles ship-generated hydrocarbon residue (slops) into IFO and MDO bunkers, Monday announced that the French government has awarded the company a €200,000 ($225,360) grant in support of a MDO desulfurisation project.

"The selection of our project for the award and the financial support we have received will enable us to further accelerate the development of our technology. It is a great honour for Ecoslops to have been chosen by this prestigious programme and its panel of experts," said Vincent Favier, Ecoslops' CEO.

Organised by the "Innovation 2030" Commission, an initiative intended to address major global challenges in 2030, the award is said to have been given to Ecoslops under the category of "Collection, Sorting and Recycling" for Ecoslops' P2R- MDO project.

The project is said to be intended to recycle vessels' slops, transforming them into MDO with a sulfur content of under 0.1 percent in order to comply with the most stringent Emission Control Area (ECA) regulations.

"Innovation is the only way to provide ship owners and port authorities with an effective environmental and technical solution for the sustainable disposal of slops," said Favier.

"This is the principle that Ecoslops was founded upon, and this prestigious award and financial subsidy demonstrates the viability of our technology, and the significant and positive impact that it can have within shipping as the industry looks to further improve its sustainability credentials."

In January, Ecoslops announced that it had received an agreement in principle from the Ivory Coast's Port of Abidjan to provide the company with land on which to establish a new oil residue recycling plant in the region.