MBS Nordic wins Oslo airport business for the supply of de-icing chemicals

MBS Nordic, a business unit of the global chemicals distribution leader Royal Vopak, has been appointed main supplier of aircraft and runway de-icing products to Oslo airport.

A key element of the agreement is that MBS Nordic provides a standby supply service to deliver de-icing product at four hours notice, 24 hours a day, seven days a week during the critical mid-December to mid-March period. The strong Vopak presence and distribution infrastructure in the vicinity of Oslo airport, combined with Clariant´s strong technical support, made a major contribution to MBS Nordic’s selection

According to Mats Feltwall, Manager, Heat Transfer Fluids & Polymer Additives, MBS Nordic: “The fact that we have a solid history in this sector, having been providing de-icing products on four hour service contracts, to both Stockholm and Copenhagen airports for around 10 years, also supported our credibility as a supplier.

“De-icing is a vital business, critical to aircraft safety and therefore the quality criteria applied to products are very stringent, and we are able to demonstrate significant experience and expertise in mixing and handling these products,” he says.

Glycol-based products feature strongly in the MBS Nordic portfolio and among them aircraft de-icing fluids are one of the largest single product groups. The principle de-icing product supplied by the company is Clariant’s Safewing® global brand, which is mixed under licence at MBS Nordic’s own facilities. All raw materials and equipment used are in accordance with Clariant specifications and the physical properties of every batch are checked at MBS Nordic’s laboratory before delivery.

“We supply the de-icing fluid in diluted solution for immediate use to Copenhagen airport, and as a concentrate to Stockholm and Oslo. Currently we are distributing approximately 200 tonnes of product per 24 hour period to the three airports collectively,” says Feltwall.

As part of the new contract, in addition to aircraft de-icing fluid, MBS Nordic will also supply Oslo airport with a new Clariant runway de-icing product based on organic salt.