Maritime decarbonisation centre completes biofuel trials

The trials started in July 2022.

The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) has completed its final supply chain trial of biofuel for ships which in collaboration with energy firm bp and Hapag-Lloyd.

In a statement, GCMD said bp provided the B30 biofuel, which is a blend of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) and very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO), to the TIHAMA, a 19,870 twenty-foot equivalent unit container vessel operated by Hapag-Lloyd.  

“The aim is to remove adoption barriers and increase user confidence and uptake of biofuels by assuring users that they are getting value for the cost premium, mitigating fears of biofuels adulteration, and preventing fraud,” GCMD CEO Lynn Loo said. 

The test determined that consumption of the 4,500 metric tonnes of B30 blend resulted in 27.9% emissions reduction compared to sailing on VLSFO.

GCMD said it also worked with Authentix to develop and deploy a new organic-based tracer to authenticate the origin and verify the amount of FAME present in the blend.

“This trial marks the first deployment of this tracer in a marine fuel supply chain. Previously, similar tracers were used to authenticate and quantify biofuels in road transport and LPG supply chains,” GCMD said.