Q2. What first drew you into the shipping and energy space, and how has your career journey led you to Quadrise?

Like so many others, shipping was partly a coincidence. I joined A.P. Moller–Maersk because it seemed like a pretty cool place that attracted ambitious people to its dynamic environment, and over time I realised it also brought together many of the things I find interesting — not just how the world works, but a curiosity into why it works the way it does.

What kept me in the industry was the culture. If you behave properly, remain credible and are honest — even if that means being direct — it stands you in good stead over time.

Q3. For those less familiar with Quadrise, how would you describe the company’s role in supporting shipping’s decarbonisation journey, especially in the transitional fuels space?

There has been significant investment and courage across shipping to find the next dream fuel, be it methanol or ammonia or nuclear, which is both important and necessary. However, these solutions are not yet widely available or commercially viable at scale in the imminent future.

Shipping has always been commercially driven, and over the past decade, we have already seen improvements in vessel design, operational efficiency, and technologies such as slow steaming, which reduce both fuel consumption and emissions.

Quadrise sits within that immediate, practical space. Our fuels can be used with existing infrastructure, deliver cost savings, and reduce emissions. They are part of a broader toolkit available to shipowners today, rather than something that depends on future infrastructure.

The challenge is that we need to convince the client, the shipowner to use this new fuel and the refineries to give us their residues on a large enough scale, and we are on a path to doing just that. 

Q4. There is a wide range of low and zero carbon fuel pathways currently under discussion. From your perspective, what makes biofuels an important part of the mix?

One of the key advantages of biofuels is that they can be distributed through current infrastructure and the support network that exists today. Many bunker suppliers already have supply chains and some availability of these fuels already in ports.

However, there are important considerations. Provenance is critical — ensuring that a fuel is genuinely derived from waste rather than produced specifically to qualify as a biofuel. 

Certification of emissions savings is also essential, particularly as mechanisms such as the EU Emissions Trading System begin to influence commercial decisions.

Interoperability is another factor. Different biofuels will be available in different locations, so it is important that solutions can work safely and efficiently across varying routes. 

Overall, biofuels offer flexibility and availability, which makes them a practical part of the transition.

Q6. What opportunities do you see for the UK in advancing clean maritime technologies, and what will be critical to turning ambition into delivery?

The UK has many strengths, and as a newcomer to this country I can see that — strong academic institutions, a global regulatory presence through the IMO, and a well-established legal, insurance and broking framework.

The key will be focus. Strategy is about making choices, and it is important to prioritise areas where the UK can lead, rather than trying to do everything at once.

Collaboration between academia and industry will also be important. For example, we are working with universities to use data and digital tools to accelerate fuel development. By using data from years of testing and applying approaches such as digital modelling, it may be possible to shorten the journey from concept to market, so that when we are testing a new product such as a cashew nut oil, we can do so much faster.

Q7. Lastly, what gives you optimism about shipping’s ability to meet its decarbonisation goals over the next decade?

A lot more progress has been made than we are giving ourselves and the wider industry credit for. 

There have been significant improvements in vessel design and operational efficiency, and many shipowners — even those sometimes seen and portrayed as cautious — have made meaningful changes to reduce emissions.

As regulatory frameworks such as EU ETS and FuelEU begin to influence commercial decision-making, the business case for lower-emission solutions will become clearer. When those incentives reach chartering and commercial teams, adoption may accelerate quickly.

Shipping is a commercially driven industry, and once environmental performance aligns more closely with commercial benefits, progress can move at pace.

At the same time, as we look at current geopolitical tensions — particularly in the Persian Gulf and the challenge of securing sufficient fuel supply — it is also worth considering technologies that enable us to do more with less. At Quadrise, for example, our approach extracts more energy from existing oil, improving efficiency and helping address supply pressures.

Ultimately, as long as solutions make commercial sense, I am confident the industry will continue to move forward.