ExxonMobil completes first sea trial of B30-VLSFO made from FAME residue

US oil major ExxonMobil, and Nordic shipping company Wallenius Wilhelmsen, have successfully completed the first sea trial of a B30-VLSFO blend produced using FAME distillation residue.

IMAGE: Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s vehicle carrier Titus. ExxonMobil

The B30-VLSFO was bunkered onto the vehicle carrier Titus in Zeebrugge before the trial. The fuel has similar drop-in characteristics to a B30-VLSFO blend made with FAME derived from used cooking oil (UCOME).

The sea trial concluded successfully without any operational issues. The fuel was bunkered, stored and handled onboard seamlessly, with no problems related to onboard storage, fuel handling, filtration or purification, ExxonMobil said.

Blends made with FAME distillation residue offer a significant advantage over conventional FAME because the feedstock does not currently compete with other transport sectors for supply, according to the company.

“This successful sea trial highlights a practical, cost-effective pathway for customers to reduce their lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining operational performance,” said Gideon Simmelink, account manager marine fuels at ExxonMobil.

ExxonMobil currently supplies a range of bio marine fuel blends across the ARA region, the UK and Singapore.

By Tuhin Roy

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