GCMD tests dual-feedstock B100 on BHP vessel
Singapore-based Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) tested 100% biofuel (B100) derived from two different feedstocks on a BHP-chartered bulk carrier.
IMAGE: BHP-chartered bulk carrier, Berge Lyngor. BHP
The BHP-chartered bulk carrier Berge Lyngor was bunkered in Singapore with a B100 biofuel comprising 50% tallow-derived biofuel blended with 50% used cooking oil methyl ester (UCOME)-based biofuel.
The tallow-derived component was supplied by HAMR Energy and UCOME component was supplied by Mitsui & Co Energy Trading Singapore.
The fuel was used on a voyage transporting BHP iron ore from Western Australia to China.
UCOME and tallow methyl ester are both classified as Annex IX Part B waste feedstocks under EU RED III. Both are fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) produced from waste materials, making them easily miscible. They are already co-blended for road transport in Europe.
However, biofuels derived from different feedstocks can have different physical and chemical properties, including oxidative stability, viscosity and cold-flow behaviour. Oxidative stability refers to a fuel's resistance to degradation when exposed to atmospheric oxygen, while cold-flow behaviour defines its ability to remain fluid at low temperatures.
These differences can lead to operational issues on ships, such as corrosion and fuel system clogging.
The pilot is aimed at evaluating how the blend performs in marine engines and existing bunkering infrastructure under real-world conditions before wider commercial adoption, GCMD said.
It added that the pilot will also help assess how biofuels from different feedstocks with varying lifecycle emissions profiles can be traced through the supply chain when blended together.
"The diversity of biofuels will provide shipowners and operators with greater flexibility to optimise fuel procurement based on cost, availability, and lifecycle emissions performance," BHP said.
By Konica Bhatt
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