The Week in Alternative Fuels
Here are some of the key developments in alternative bunker fuels from the past week.
PHOTO: Bulk carrier MT Friendship charted the course between Singapore and Saldanha Bay in South Africa for a two-way voyage as part of a biofuel trial. TotalEnergies
The Port of Rotterdam aims to cut emissions by connecting 90% of cruise ships arriving in the port to shore power by 2030. Meanwhile, Scotland’s Aberdeen Harbour is building a hydrogen hub together with oil supermajor BP. They target 2024 as a start date and highlighted hydrogen demand for marine fuel as a possible outlet.
French container shipping firm CMA CGM's 15,000 TEU containership Symi bunkered LNG at Yangshan port on Wednesday, the first simultaneous ship-to-ship LNG bunkering and cargo handling operation (SIMOPS) performed in China.
Norwegian ro-ro shipping firm UECC, which launched its third dual-fuel LNG-battery hybrid vehicle carrier in December last year, says its investments helped it cut carbon emissions by 29,000 mt last year compared to conventional fuels, up from 18,700 mt in 2020.
Vitol’s bunker subsidiary V-Bunkers and French TotalEnergies made separate announcements this week that they had delivered their first stems of biofuel-blended VLSFO in Singapore. The stems follow several bio-bunker trials conducted in the port in the port in the past year.
Vitol also said it has commissioned battery-hybrid bunker tankers from Shift Clean Energy and vessel designer Sea Tech. The bunker vessels will be operated by V-Bunkers in Singapore.
Engine maker Wärtsilä has developed a new methanol fuel supply system which can be retrofitted to any of the more than 5,000 conventionally fuelled Wärtsilä 32 ship engines in operation globally.
Here are the top five stories in alternative fuels this week:
Rotterdam moves towards shore power for cruise ships
The Port of Rotterdam aims to reduce emissions by connecting 90% of cruise ships arriving in the port to shore power by 2030.
The Netherland's Municipal Executive has decided to invest in a shore power system for the Cruise Port Rotterdam (CPR), expecting it to be commissioned by 2024.
Presently, there is no shore power supply system in Rotterdam. The port relies on CO2-emitting generators to power vessels.
CPR intends to use an interest-free loan of €8.75 million ($9.60 million) to cover half the costs of the expansion, and expects to fund the other half through subsidies.
“The installation of shore power at CPR fits in with the port authority’s policy to work together with the companies and the municipality on the port’s energy transition. Shore power plays an important role in this”, says the Port Authority of Rotterdam’s chief Allard Castelein.
The fellow Dutch Port of Amsterdam has initiated similar plans to cut emissions from cruise ships. From 2030 onwards, the port will only allow cruise ships to operate with zero-emissions at the quay. It will then target other vessel types towards a zero-emission 2050 deadline.
Meanwhile, oil supermajor BP plans to build and operate a hydrogen hub in Scotland's Aberdeen Harbour and aims to have it up and running in 2024. BP eyes green hydrogen production for marine use in future phases based on further investment and capacity expansion.
CMA CGM performs first ship-to-ship LNG bunkering of cargo-handling containership in China
French container shipping firm CMA CGM’s 15,000 TEU containership Symi bunkered LNG at Yangshan port on Wednesday.
The containership was refuelled by the new 20,000 cbm-capacity LNG bunker barge Haigang Weilai, which has been deployed by Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG) and is claimed to be the world's biggest LNG bunkering vessel.
The LNG stem was delivered with ship-to-ship (STS) transfer at the same time as the containership carried out cargo operations in the port.
This marks the first ship-to-ship LNG simultaneous operation (SIMOPS) bunkering operation in China, claims CMA CGM.
CMA CGM and SIPG signed a 10-year supply agreement in January, wherein SIPG will supply all CMA CGM’s vessels sailing from China to the US at with LNG while they handle cargo in Yangshan port.
The CMA CGM Group is currently operating 12 LNG-powered containerships, a fleet that is set to grow to 32 containerships of various sizes by the end of the year.
The company already has a fleet of 25 'e-methane ready' vessels and plans to deploy a total of 44 such vessels by 2024.
UECC claims higher carbon emission reduction using alternative fuels
Norwegian ro-ro shipping firm United European Car Carriers (UECC) says its investments in alternative fuels helped it reduce its carbon emissions by 29,000 mt last year compared to conventional fuels.
UECC launched its third dual-fuel LNG-battery hybrid vehicle carriers in December last year.
It expects its logistics operations to turn greener with the delivery of two additional LNG-battery hybrid vessels this year.
UECC has previously said that hybrid battery propulsion will help the newbuilds cut carbon intensity by more than 40% by 2030 compared to the emission levels of its vessels in 2008, which is beyond the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) target.
The company is eyeing an annual 34,500 mt cut in carbon dioxide emissions by 2025, up from 18,700 mt in 2020, and 29,000 mt in 2021.
Vitol delivers its first bio-VLSFO stem in Singapore
Vitol's Singapore bunker subsidiary V-Bunkers says it has delivered its first stem of biofuel-blended VLSFO in the port.
The initial trial deliveries of the biofuel were conducted with the assistance of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).
Biofuel bunker blends represent an "available-right-now" to reduce emissions for shipowners, says Vitol's Asia head Mike Muller, and intends to roll out biofuel options to more of its bunker customers.
French bunker supplier TotalEnergies Marine Fuels also announced this week it had delivered a first biofuel stem in Singapore. The stem comprised 10% of waste-based used cooking oil methyl ester (UCOME) blended with VLSFO.
Recently,Vitol has partnered with Shift Clean Energy and vessel designer Sea Tech to develop battery-hybrid bunker tankers to be operated by V-Bunkers in Singapore. The bunker tankers will each be fitted with 480 kiloWatt hour liquid cooled energy storage systems and battery management systems developed by clean energy firm Shift.
ENGINE: Wärtsilä develops fuel supply system for methanol-powered vessels
Wärtsilä says its new methanol fuel supply system can be retrofitted to any of the more than 5,000 conventionally fuelled Wärtsilä 32 ship engines in operation globally.
Wärtsilä 32 engines can power vessels either as main or auxiliary engines, it says.
The company intends to develop an ammonia-fuelled engine concept by 2023, followed by a hydrogen concept by 2025.
