February 14, 2025

Why Biofuel for Maritime Operations?

The maritime industry is facing increasing regulatory pressure to reduce its environmental impact. Recent global regulations like the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) and regional regulations such as the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) and FuelEU Maritime have significantly raised the cost of compliance, added complexity, and necessitated more monitoring and reporting.

Biofuels offer a practical solution to these challenges. As drop-in fuels, they require minimal to zero modifications to existing vessels. Biofuels are now available in more than 60 ports worldwide, and their use has been proven by major industry actors for several years without negatively impacting machinery or vessel performance.

Key Benefits of Biofuels:

• Regulatory Compliance: Helps meet stringent environmental regulations and avoid penalties.
• Environmental Impact: Reduces greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants.
• Operational Ease: Can be used with existing infrastructure and engines.
• Availability: Increasingly available globally, with the maritime industry currently using less than 1% of global biofuel production.

Availability and Convenience

Biofuels are becoming increasingly accessible at major bunkering ports worldwide. Besides Rotterdam and Singapore, key ports like Fujairah, Zhoushan, Antwerp-Bruges, Busan, Hong Kong, and Gibraltar have reported biofuel bunkering. In total, over 60 ports have conducted biofuel bunkering operations since 2015, with nearly 90 ports capable of offering biofuels, a figure which continues to increase.

Owners and Operator around the world has been actively testing biofuels on its fleet and is committed to sharing performance data and best-practice experiences. By adopting biofuels, we aim to eliminate FuelEU surcharges and ensure compliance in a cost-effective manner. To the benefit of all stakeholders – including the environment.

Is Bio Fuel Bunkering complex operations/different than regular bunkering?

Vessels can easily receive and store biofuels in their existing tank storage systems by following a systematic approach that ensures compatibility and compliance with engine manufacturers' guidelines and ISO specifications. Based on approval from respective charterer/owner vessel prepares for biofuel bunkering, the vessel can flush the tanks with gas oil (e.g., MGO) to remove residues from previous fuels, avoiding the need for dry docking or manual tank cleaning. The quantity of gas oil required for flushing should be calculated based on the tank volume, pipe volume, and the quantity of the previous grade of fuel present, ensuring that the system is adequately cleaned. Once the tanks are flushed, the flushed fuel quantity can be consumed as downgraded fuel. The biofuel can be bunkered and stored, provided it meets ISO specifications and is compatible with the vessel's fuel system. During consumption, the vessel must adhere to engine manufacturers' precautions, such as monitoring fuel properties, maintaining proper temperature and viscosity, and follow vessel specific systematic implementation plan, conducting regular inspections of fuel filters and engine components. By following these steps, the vessel can safely handle, store, and consume biofuels while ensuring compliance with regulatory and operational requirements.

Alternatively, Bio fuel can also be received in storage tanks after empty tank is thoroughly cleaned typically ensuring they are completely empty or stripped to minimum quantities to prevent contamination from residual conventional fuels. The cleaning process involves draining any remaining fuel, followed by a thorough cleaning of the tanks to remove any sludge, water, or residues which could affect biofuel quality or engine performance. This might include using high-pressure water washing, chemical cleaning agents if approved, and manual inspection to ensure cleanliness. After cleaning, the tanks should be inspected and possibly dried, if necessary, to avoid water contamination which can be particularly problematic with biofuels. When planning to receive biofuels, after ensuring that the tanks are cleaned to avoid contamination, additives can be incorporated to further safeguard the fuel quality and system integrity. Such additives are designed for use with diesel fuel, biofuels, and bio-blends, which makes it suitable for the transition to biofuel usage under FuelEU Maritime regulations.

In order to ensure correct quantity of biofuel grade for bunkering on ships in compliance with FuelEU requirements, the bunker planning team first understands the regulation's GHG intensity reduction targets and using the compliance tools, necessary blend ratio of biofuel to conventional fuel is calculated. Coordination with suppliers is crucial to secure biofuels that meet sustainability criteria like ISCC, ensuring all transactions are well-documented. The planning team analyze historical and projected fuel consumption to accurately estimate biofuel qty. needs, taking in consideration of tank management plan to avoid fuel oil contamination. Additionally, respective team also prepares and submit a monitoring plan to ensure all biofuel data is verified for compliance. Finally, strategic forecasting is essential to plan fuel oil quantity for future increases in biofuel usage, considering both cost implications and long-term regulatory changes.