The Week in Alternative Fuels

Here are some key developments in alternative bunker fuels from the past week.

PHOTO: An LNG-powered CMA CGM container vessel. CMA CGM

Biofuels have overtaken LNG and LPG as the popular choice for “sustainability planning” among shipowners, a report by UK-based shipping law experts Watson Farley & Williams (WFW) has found. Almost 60% of shipowners have considered using biofuels to reduce their carbon footprints by 2028, according to the report, which was based on interviews with shipowners, charterers, financiers, and a global survey of nearly 500 senior executives across those sectors.

However, although LNG scored low in the WFW survey as a preferred alternative fuel, it dominated the headlines this week.

US-based shipping company Fairfield Chemical Carriers (FCC) launched its first dual-fuel chemical tanker that can run on LNG. FCC endorsed LNG as its fuel of choice because it can reduce the tanker's carbon dioxide emissions by "up to 25%" compared to traditional marine fuels.

French shipping company CMA CGM ordered 16 container ships from China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), 12 of which will be dual-fuel methanol vessels and 4 dual-fuel LNG ships. A CMA CGM spokesperson told ENGINE that the vessels are scheduled for delivery by 2027. The spokesperson also confirmed that CMA CGM's fleet has 32 vessels that can run on LNG, e-methane or liquefied biomethane (LBM), and that this number is expected to reach 77 by 2027.

E-methane and LBM can function as a drop-in fuels in LNG as they are all basically the same molecule produced in different ways. So vessels capable of running on LNG won’t need to be modified to run on pure LBM or LBM-LNG blends.

Amid rising demand for LNG as a bunker fuel, Finnish state-owned energy company Gasum announced plans to ramp up bunker deliveries of LNG and biogas in Norway. Gasum seeks to offer a more sustainable alternative in the form of LBM as bunkers as well.

Ammonia made waves this week, too. The Norwegian government awarded about €5.9 million ($6.5 million) in funding to Wärtsilä, Höegh LNG and other partners to develop infrastructure that will enable ammonia to be used as a hydrogen carrier. The partners aims to build a system that converts ammonia into hydrogen onboard one of Höegh LNG vessel.

By Konica Bhatt

Here is our selection of top five alternative fuels stories from this week:

Biofuels most favoured alternative marine fuel - report

FCC launches its first LNG-fuelled chemical tanker

UPDATE: China and France sign a record deal for LNG- and methanol-powered vessels

Gasum plans to increase LNG and biogas bunkering in Drammen

Wärtsilä and Höegh LNG win grant to develop ammonia as hydrogen carrier