Japanese trio successfully trials biofuel onboard a bulk carrier

Japanese shipping company NYK Line along with two compatriots has successfully conducted a biofuel trial onboard a bulk carrier.

PHOTO: Bulk carrier Sunrise Serenity receiving biodiesel fuel via STS transfer. NYK Line

The trial was conducted on Sunrise Serenity – a bulk carrier jointly owned by NYK Line and Asahi Shipping. The vessel carries cargo for steel producer Kobe Steel.

The three companies believe the trial “will contribute to spreading the biofuel supply chain in the Kansai and Setouchi areas" in Japan.

The vessel was bunkered with an unspecified amount of biodiesel fuel via ship-to-ship (STS) transfer at the port of Kobe in Japan, and then made a successful test voyage to the port of Newcastle in Australia.

The biodiesel fuel was supplied by Japanese bunker supplier Toyota Tsusho Marine Fuels. The company derives biodiesel by "methyl esterification of vegetable oils.” Methyl esterification is a chemical process to convert oil and fats into methyl esters.

“Biofuels can be used in marine engines as an alternative to heavy oil. Biofuels are made from organic resources (biomass) derived from living organisms and are considered to have virtually zero CO2 emissions when burned,” NYK Line says.

However, NYK Line has not shared much insight into the nature of the biofuel or the share of it blended into oil-based bunker fuels. B20-30 biofuel blends of 20-30% biofuel to 70-80% VLSFO/LSMGO-HSFO are typical, but blends can vary all the way from B5-100.

By Tuhin Roy

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