Vitol to introduce specialised biofuel bunker tankers in Singapore
Global bunker supplier Vitol aims to start offering blends with more than 24% biofuel for bunkering in Singapore from early next year.
PHOTO: Cargo terminal in the Port of Singapore. Getty Images
Vitol will offer biofuel blends up to B100 (100% biofuel), including the typical B24 and B30 ratios, through its subsidiaries V-Bunkers and Vitol Bunkers.
V-Bunkers has ordered its first IMO Type 2 chemical tanker, which is scheduled to arrive in January. It will be followed by several others throughout next year.
Only oil tankers deliver bunker fuels in Singapore now. These are allowed to carry marine fuels blended with a biofuel concentration of up to 25%. If the concentration is higher than that, it requires an IMO Type 2 chemical tanker, as per the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) rules.
The orders come as the shipping industry looks to reduce its carbon emissions and move away from conventional, high-carbon bunker fuel oils and gasoils. In the past year, biofuel bunkering has been gaining interest and popularity in Singapore , the world's largest bunker hub.
"As the shipping industry steps up its pursuit of decarbonisation solutions, barges that can deliver bunker fuel with a much higher concentration of biofuels represent a material step in the right direction," the head of Vitol Asia, Mike Muller, said.
In August, sales of B24 biofuel blends in Singapore exceeded 50,000 mt for the first time, and year-to-date sales were more than double those of 2022, according to Vitol, citing data from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).
Singaporean bunker suppliers and operators are required to provide a Proof of Sustainability (PoS) or similar documentation along with the Bunker Delivery Note (BDN) to verify the sustainability of feedstocks and energy going into producing biofuels. These requirements also form part of the IMO's interim guidelines aimed at increasing biofuel use, which have been effective from the beginning of this month.
By Debarati Bhattacharjee
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