Ocean Network Express (ONE) has completed the second trial of sustainable marine biofuel onboard the MOL Experience - with the mixing ratio three times higher in biofuel content than the first trial.
The vessel was refuelled with marine biofuel during bunkering at the Port of Rotterdam, Netherlands on March 7 and fully consumed the biofuel 24 days into the 36-day trial period, which ended on April 12.
As with the first trial, the bunkering and testing period was performed in collaboration with shipowner Mitsui OSK Lines and sustainable biofuel company GoodFuels.
Biofuel is derived from renewable sources – and the advanced biofuel used in the trial is produced from certified feedstocks labelled as 100% waste or residue, such as used cooking oil. They are considered to be carbon-neutral because the carbon dioxide absorbed by the source of the biomass is equal to the carbon dioxide released when the fuel is burned.
GoodFuels’ sustainable biofuels are virtually free of sulphur oxides and deliver 80 to 90% well-to-exhaust CO2 reduction versus fossil fuel equivalents, according to an MOL statement.
“Biofuels are technically and operationally equivalent to petroleum-derived marine fuels and require no modifications to marine engines or fuel infrastructure. GoodFuels only works with renewable feedstocks that cannot be used for any higher quality application or recycling and are therefore regarded as truly sustainable.”
MOL aimed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions (in gram/TEU-km) by 25% from its 2018 baseline by 2030, and by 50% by 2050, said Takashi Mishima, ONE general manager of fleet management.
