Mitsui OSK Lines is making strides in its biofuel bunker operations with news that in conjunction with TotalEnergies Marine Fuels it has successfully completed the first biofuel bunker operation for a vehicle carrier in Singapore.
The operation was made possible with support from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. The MOL-operated car and truck carrier Heroic Ace was refuelled by TotalEnergies-supplied biofuel earlier this month via ship-to-ship transfer, with the carrier performing cargo operations simultaneously.
The biofuel was used for the carrier’s voyage to Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates. The blend used in this trial comprised VLSFO (Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil) blended with 20% second-generation, waste-based, and ISCC-certified UCOME (Used Cooking Oil Methyl Ester). From a well-to-wake assessment, the biofuel will reduce approximately 17% of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions compared with conventional fuel oil. The line’s initial analysis of the vehicle carrier’s engine and machinery performance has demonstrated high compatibility and safe use of the biofuel onboard the vessel, according to a statement released today.
Koichi Hirata, general manager of MOL’s car carrier division, said the division had been working on trial usage of biofuel during navigation in the European short-haul trade for more than a year. “Today we are very pleased to announce that we have expanded our actions to the long-haul trades and successfully conducted a milestone voyage.”
TotalEnergies and MOL believe biofuels provide an immediate and sustainable solution to decarbonise shipping today as they can be blended or dropped into existing conventional fuels with little or no technological developments required on vessels.
As part of the energy company’s strategy to produce a new generation of biofuels for use in transport, it is investing in biofuels projects based on animal fat or used oils, thereby sourcing from the circular economy and limiting the competition for and impact on arable land.
Laura Ong, general manager of trading and operations for Asia Pacific, TotalEnergies Marine Fuels, based in Singapore, said the company wanted to develop sustainable, cost-efficient, and low-carbon biofuel solutions for customers across different shipping segments. “This partnership with MOL has allowed us to build on our amassed biofuels supply chain capabilities and operational success, to deliver this lower-carbon fuel to a new vessel type.”
