Biofuels News

The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonization (GCMD) has introduced a new technique that creates a fingerprint for Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAME) biofuels that can identify the origins of the fuel's feedstock.The shipping industry is increasingly using biofuels, such as FAME, to reduce its GHG emissions. However, concerns have arisen regarding the legitimacy of biofuels and whether they are truly sustainable. Industry bodies are seeing a rising number of cases mislabelling biofuels purported to be made from recycled oils and fats…

An Australian-led scientific breakthrough to increase oil yield from plants is expected to advance the production and use of biofuels globally. Oils from plants are typically produced in seeds and fruits, but scientists from Australia’s research agency CSIRO studied how to extend that to the biomass of the plant, including the leaves and stem. CSIRO’s Dr Thomas Vanhercke, who has been working on the project for more than a decade, believes the technology has the potential to create…

The Baltic Sea's irst green freight corridor has been launched, allowing for the transportation of Felix ketchup to Finland with a 90% reduction in emissions. This initiative, a collaboration between Orkla Suomi, Scandic Trans, and Viking Line, features a scheduled freight service powered by biofuel.Since July, Felix ketchup, produced by the Orkla Group in Fågelmara, has been shipped to Finland using biofuels. The process begins at the largest ketchup factory in the Nordic region, where Scandic Trans trucks transport the product to Viking Line’s terminal in Stadsgården, Stockholm.

Danish shipowner Norden announced it has entered into an arrangement with Australian mining company BHP to use biofuel as a means to reduce vessel emissions.Norden said it will use approximately 1,000 tonnes of 100% biofuel (B100) during a voyage from Hay Point, Australia to Rotterdam, Netherlands on the Capesize vessel Nord Steel. This will be the largest quantity of biofuel used on a single voyage by Nor den, anticipated to reduce a total of 2,500 tonnes of CO2 emissions compared to an equivalent voyage using conventional fossil maritime fuel.BHP’s Head of Maritime…

MAN Energy Solutions has announced a new generation of its Common Rail injection system for its medium-speed, four-stroke engine portfolio.Its core components comprise an optimised and uniform high-pressure pump and a newly developed injector, integrating the CR 1.6 valve group and making the entire system setup more coherent. It is initially being introduced via the MAN 49/60DF engine.MAN Energy Solutions reports that CR 2.2 can boast of up to 38% increased rail-pressure for all applications, and over 33% increased target time-between-overhaul intervals for most components.

Hong Kong headquartered ocean carrier Orient Overseas Container Line Ltd. (OOCL) said it is running its ships biofuel as a means to reduce emissions from its operations.The company, which has been using biofuel on some of its vessels since 2023, said it has partnered with customers IKEA and Kyocera for the most recent trial voyage, which commenced in early August. The fuel used on the voyage is a B24 biofuel blend, with ISCC certified Used Cooking Oil Methyl Ester as a component in the VLSFO.By substituting fossil fuels with biofuels…

The FuelEU pooling mechanism introduces a new economic incentive to accelerate adoption of biofuels, according to OceanScore.The company has identified tangible savings on the cost of compliance with FuelEU Maritime that can be made through burning biofuels to generate surpluses for vessel pooling.This enables companies to capture financial gains from overcompliance with carbon intensity reduction targets.Albrecht Grell, Managing Director of OceanScore, says FuelEU can understandably be seen as annoyingly complex and just another cost burden for shipping…

TotalEnergies has supplied its first B100 biofuel bunker in Singapore, marking an expansion in its low-carbon fuels offer in an effort to support the decarbonization goals of global shipping.On August 5, TotalEnergies Marine Fuels used an IMO Type II chemical bunker tanker, MAPLE, owned by Global Energy Group, to transfer 700 metric tons (mt) of the 100% Used Cooking Oil Methyl Ester (UCOME-based) biofuel to a pure car and truck carrier (PCTC), Glovis Cosmos, which is owned by Hyundai Glovis.The UCOME biodiesel supplied is a second-generation…

Swire Shipping has successfully completed a sustainable B24 biofuel trial after bunkering a container ship operating on its Sun Chief Express Ocean service in Hong Kong.A collaboration with UWL, the Sun Chief Express Ocean service directly connects Vietnam to the United States and is the fastest in the market, with express connections into the heart of North America and Cambodia, Indonesia and Thailand.MV Suva Chief was bunkered in Hong Kong with sustainable B24 biofuel, a blend of sustainable biodiesel of waste origin and conventional fuels.

The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) has successfully completed its final supply chain trial for biofuel blended with very low sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO).This marks the end of a series of trials initiated in July 2022 as part of a larger pilot to develop a framework to provide quality, quantity and GHG abatement assurances for drop-in fuels.In this final trial, bp provided the B30 biofuel blend to the TIHAMA, a 19,870 TEU container vessel operated by Hapag-Lloyd.The…

The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) has released a report, “Tracking the Propensity of Biofuels Degradation Across the Maritime Supply Chain.”The report includes findings from tracking the quality of FAME and FAME blends as they make their way through the supply chains and on consumption onboard vessels.Unlike conventional marine fuels, FAME-based biofuels can be unstable since its natural oils and fats can slowly oxidize when exposed to atmospheric oxygen. When oxidation happens…

On May 2, Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) began a long-term biofuel test run on its VLCC Tenjun. The vessel received an initial supply of biofuel in Singapore and will continue to use biofuel for approximately three months to comprehensively verify the safe and stable procurement of biofuel for long-term use.NYK has conducted many short- and long-term safety trials of biofuel use on bulk carriers, car carriers, and LPG carriers, but this is the first time an NYK-operated VLCC has engaged in a long-term biofuel trial.

The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) has teamed up with NYK Line to launch Project LOTUS (long-term impact of continuous use of biofuels on vessel operations).This six-month project will trial the continuous use of a biofuels blend comprising of 24% Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAME) and very low sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO) onboard a short-sea vehicle carrier that will call at multiple ports. The use of a vessel plying short-sea routes will allow regular access to fuels stored onboard for sampling and testing during frequent port calls.FAME…

Greek shipping company Carras (Hellas) has received the ABS Biofuel-1 notation for its Aquataurus ultramax bulk carrier, the first vessel in the world to qualify.The notation is assigned to vessels that use a biofuel blend of up to and including 30% biofuel in compliance with IMO and ABS requirements.Biofuels are liquid hydrocarbon fuels with similar composition and properties to fuel oil, but they are produced from renewable sources such as crops, agricultural and forestry waste…

Spot marine biofuel premiums have weakened further at the world's largest bunker hub Singapore, weighed by slow demand, market sources said this week.Premiums for the flagship B24 marine biofuel blend recently traded between $120 to $130 a metric ton over 0.5% low sulphur fuel oil quotes, on a delivered Singapore basis, according to sources from bunker suppliers, trading firms and shipowners.The premiums extended declines from early first quarter when the product traded down to about $140 a ton…

Yang Ming Marine Transport is adopting sustainable biofuel for its fleet, starting at Hong Kong and Singapore, and will now incorporate biofuel into its annual fuel consumption on an on-going basis.The adoption of biofuel began with Yang Ming’s 1,805 TEU class container ship, YM Inception, and 6,600 TEU class container ship, YM Masculinity. These vessels are currently deployed on the Japan to/from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Thailand service and the Far East to/from Middle East service…

Vitol Bunkers has taken delivery of the Marine Future vessel, its first specialized biofuel bunker barge in Singapore.The addition of this specialized IMO type 2 notation bunker tanker to the V-Bunkers fleet will make it possible to supply biofuel blends including B24, B30 and up to B100, depending on customer specifications.Built in China, Marine Future is 102.6m in length and has the capacity to carry about 7,000 MT of biofuels.The current fleet of bunker tankers in Singapore are classified as ‘oil tankers’ and are therefore restricted to a maximum of 25% bio component in biofuel blends.

KR has awarded a third-party verification certificate for a “Greenhouse Gas Reduction Calculation Methodology” developed by HMM, South Korea’s largest shipping company.The methodology is based on the Renewable Energy Directive II, a regulatory framework adopted by the EU to promote the use of renewable energy to all member states.The greenhouse gas reduction methodology verified by KR involves calculating the amount of reduced greenhouse gases (GHG) based on the fuel's life cycle emissions (WtW…

European renewable ethanol producers have launched a legal challenge to the EU’s FuelEU Maritime Regulation on the grounds that it fails to properly recognise the proven benefits of sustainable crop-based biofuels and has therefore violated several key EU legislative procedures.Companies representing nearly all of the EU’s production of renewable ethanol are seeking to annul a section of the legislation that considers crop-based biofuels to have the same emission factors as the least favourable fossil fuel pathway.

Japanese shipping major NYK Group has marked the start of construction of a test facility that will serve to assess the safety of biofuels and accelerate their practical application as marine fuels.NYK plans to complete the installation of the test engine in June and analyze the biofuel in combustion tests over the next three years.The test engine will be a reused generator from the tugboat Sakigake, which is currently being converted to an ammonia-fueled tug, according to NYK.NYK companies Boltech.

Japanese shipping company NYK has unveiled plans to conduct full-scale trials of long-term use of biofules for its existing heavy oil-fired vessels starting from 2024.Considered to have net-zero CO2 emissions, biofuels are produced from biological sources (biomass), such as waste cooking oil. Usable in heavy oil-fired engines, biofuels are considered to be one of the critical solutions to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.In this trial, NYK will use biofuel continuously for three months on multiple vessel types.

Vale, working in partnership with Oldendorff Carriers, has just commenced its first biofuel voyage on a bulk vessel.The trial is taking place on an Oldendorff vessel performing a laden Vale voyage from Brazil to Asia, carrying a full cargo of iron ore.The Hinrich Oldendorff (209,113 deadweight built 2016) loaded the biofuel in Singapore on October 16 on the ballast voyage to Brazil. The vessel then loaded Vale’s iron ore on November 28 at Guaiba Island Terminal and will consume…

In 2019, Oldendorff Carriers signed a research agreement with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Center for Bits and Atoms to investigate disruptive improvements in ship design, propulsion, and alternative energy sources to help achieve the enhanced decarbonization targets to 2050. As part of their agreement, Oldendorff Carriers asked MIT to conduct a study on the long-term stability and degradation of a B20 advanced biofuel blend.Biofuels offer a drop-in fuel option, reducing GHG emissions from a life-cycle perspective.