Titan to supply mass-balanced LBM to UECC’s dual-fuel vessels

LNG bunker supplier Titan will supply liquified biomethane (LBM) on a mass balance basis to all United European Car Carriers' (UECC) LNG dual-fuel car carriers calling the Port of Zeebrugge this month.

PHOTO: A ship docked in the Port of Zeebrugge, Belgium. Getty Images

Titan will deliver International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC)-certified mass-balanced LBM to vessels owned by the Norwegian shipping firm UECC via Fluxys’ LNG terminal in Zeebrugge, Belgium.

Mass balancing is an accounting method that tracks the flow of sustainable feedstocks in the supply chain. It enables the blending of renewable and non-renewable feedstocks while maintaining an accurate tally of each type. By quantifying the amount of sustainable feedstock used during production, distribution, blending and bunkering. This will theoretically ensure that the blended fuel is not claimed to be greener than the quantity of sustainable feedstock used.

LBM, also known as bio-LNG, is produced from the biogas discharged from the anaerobic digestion of organic waste. Biogas is made of two core components – methane and carbon dioxide. Methane is isolated from carbon dioxide and then liquified to produce LBM.

LBM can either be used in its pure form or as a drop-in fuel in fossil LNG, which is similar to the way biofuels can be blended into MGO or VLSFO. This means that vessels capable of running on LNG will not need modifications to run on pure LBM or LBM-LNG blends.

Titan and UECC have not specified the volume of LBM that will be supplied this month or whether the supply agreement will be extended beyond this month.

By Manjula Nair

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