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Alternative Fuels

Argus Media: Japanese firms look to domestic ammonia bunkering

Itochu Enex, Ube Industries, and Uyeno Transtech have set up a joint venture to supply ammonia as a marine fuel and development supply bases, reports Argus Media.
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Rieko Suda of global energy and commodity price reporting agency Argus Media on Friday (12 Friday) published a summary on a Japanese consortium which has agreed to study the development of infrastructure for domestic ammonia bunkering:

A group of Japanese firms, including one of Japan’s major ammonia producers, have agreed to jointly work on developing domestic ammonia bunkering infrastructure, aiming to tap its potential as a marine fuel.

 Japanese trading house Itochu and its energy trading arm Itochu Enex, chemicals firm Ube Industries and shipping firm Uyeno Transtech announced today they have agreed to set up a joint venture on supplying ammonia as a marine fuel and development of domestic supply bases. The project is part of an integrated project by Itochu and Itochu Enex, including joint development of ammonia-fuelled vessels, as well as ammonia supply infrastructure in Japan and in Singapore, according to Itochu.

Itochu will be responsible for development and construction of domestic ammonia supply bases and ammonia bunkering vessels for the project. The company also is planning to work on building partnerships with Japanese and foreign companies, including shipping firms. Itochu Enex is expected to carry out research and development on possible domestic supply sites.

Ube Industries will carry out a study on the supply of ammonia as a marine fuel and development of an onshore supply facility for the joint project, taking advantage of its expertise as one of Japan’s leading ammonia producers. The company said it is pursuing the project under its 2050 goal to reduce the firm’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80pc.

Ube Industries in October last year formally merged its wholly-owned subsidiary Ube Ammonia Industry, which produces ammonia from petroleum coke for chemicals feedstock at Yamaguchi prefecture’s Ube. The merger was targeted to strengthen its ammonia business and increase business efficiencies through unified management of ammonia operations. Ammonia output at the subsidiary during the April 2019-March 2020 fiscal year was up by 25pc on a year earlier at 385,000t. The Ube operation is now the firm’s sole ammonia production plant, having halted ammonia production in 2014 at its 200,000 t/yr Sakai plant in Osaka prefecture.

Uyeno Transtech is planning to study development of an ammonia bunkering vessel and safety standards for refuelling of the toxic material, banking on its expertise in LNG bunkering. The company is participating in Eco Bunker Shipping, which began LNG bunkering operations in Tokyo bay in 2018.

 Japan is exploring ammonia’s potential as a fuel, targeting to expand fuel use consumption to 3mn t/yr by 2030. The global shipping industry is also considering ammonia as a viable alternative fuel to decarbonise the industry, while accelerating efforts to develop ammonia-fuelled vessels that now could become available by 2025.

Japanese trading house Sumitomo this week joined a feasibility study on supply of green ammonia and ship-to-ship bunkering in Singapore. The study is assessing supplying LPG as an initial fuel for the project before shifting to ammonia, and eventually to green ammonia as storage, vessels and barges designed for LPG can also handle ammonia. Green ammonia is produced from renewable sources without any GHG emissions.

Japan’s domestic demand for ammonia is around 1mn t/yr for nitrogen feedstock and industrial use, with domestic supplies covering 80pc of the total demand. Ammonia imports in 2020 dropped by 9pc from a year earlier to around 213,000t.


Photo credit: Argus Media
Published: 12 March, 2021

 

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Alternative Fuels

MOL inks bio-LNG bunker fuel supply deals with Titan and Axpo for car carriers in Europe

Titan, part of Amsterdam-based Molgas, will continue to supply bio-LNG fuel in Northwest Europe, while Axpo will take charge of supply in the Mediterranean region.
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MOL inks bio-LNG bunker fuel supply deals with Titan and Axpo for car carriers in Europe

Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) on Thursday (18 July) said it has signed new supply agreements in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean region to expand the use of bio-LNG marine fuel on MOL-operated LNG-fuelled car carriers.

Titan, part of Amsterdam-based Molgas, will continue to supply bio-LNG fuel in Northwest Europe, while Axpo will take charge of supply in the Mediterranean region.

MOL said the agreement makes it possible for its company to supply bio-LNG fuel for automobile carriers in the Mediterranean region, specifically Port of Malaga and Barcelona in Spain, following the bio-LNG fuel supply agreement in Western Europe, which commenced in March last year.

The bio-LNG fuel to be supplied in this initiative has a lifecycle carbon intensity (carbon dioxide emissions per unit of energy consumption) of -15 g-CO2/MJ or less, from production through consumption. Furthermore, this bio-LNG fuel has obtained International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC-EU). 

“Through this supply agreement, MOL has established a framework that ensures a continuous and stable supply of bio-LNG fuel not only in Northern Europe but also in the Mediterranean,” the company said.

As part of the group’s efforts to adopt alternative fuels and achieve net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, it is utilising LNG-fuelled vessels as a bridge solution to facilitate the transition to carbon-neutral fuels such as bio-LNG and synthetic LNG (e-methane).

In 2025, MOL signed a bio LNG fuel supply agreement in Northwest Europe with Titan, part of the Molgas, and MOL has continued this bio LNG fuel supply agreement with the same company in 2026 as well.

 

Photo credit: Mitsui OSK Lines
Published: 19 June, 2026

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Biofuel

Kvasir Technologies lands EUR 10 million to scale bio bunker fuel production

The Danish biofuel startup raised the fund in a Series A investment round, which will provide capital to develop and design a new commercial production plant and scale climate-neutral drop-in marine fuel.

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Kvasir Technologies lands EUR 10 million to scale bio bunker fuel production

Danish biofuel startup Kvasir Technologies on Thursday (18 June) said it has raised EUR 10 million (USD 11.4 million) in a Series A investment round with participation from European Energy as a new investor, alongside existing investors EIFO, Maersk Growth and Footprint Fund. 

The Series A round provides capital to develop and design a new commercial production plant and scale climate-neutral drop-in fuel to be used in existing vessels.

At the same time, European Energy and Kvasir Technologies are entering into a strategic partnership by establishing the company KVEEN Biofuels, which is working towards the construction of a commercial-scale plant to produce biofuels using Kvasir Technologies’ patented technology.

“This investment round enables us to take the next crucial steps in developing and scaling our technology. At the same time, it underlines that there is still strong support for solutions that can deliver real climate impact in the maritime sector,” said Joachim Bachmann Nielsen, Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and CEO of Kvasir Technologies.

Kvasir Technologies, a spin-out from research at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), has developed a new technology to convert a wide range of non-edible lignin- based residues from agriculture and forestry into refined biofuels for shipping.

The climate-neutral biofuel can serve as an immediate replacement for fossil marine fuel without the need to modify ship engines or change existing infrastructure.

The new funding will be used, among other things, to scale the technology at Kvasir Technologies’ test facility in Fredericia, which can produce up to 2 metric tonnes (mt) of biofuel per day.

At the same time, development work will begin on the first commercial plant in the city of Aabenraa in the southern part of Jutland, which will demonstrate the technology on an industrial scale.

 

Photo credit: Kvasir Technologies
Published: 19 June, 2026

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Engine

BeHydro secures LR’s first class approval for 100% hydrogen marine engine

Engine has been developed and tested at ABC Engines’ facility in Ghent and is designed to operate entirely on hydrogen, without the need for pilot fuels.
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BeHydro secures LR’s first class approval for 100% hydrogen marine engine

Classification society Lloyd’s Register (LR) on Wednesday (17 June) said it has issued the first Type Approval Certificate for a 100% hydrogen-fuelled, spark-ignited marine engine.

The approval has been awarded to the hydrogen engine developed by BeHydro and confirms the design meets LR’s requirements for safety, performance and reliability in marine applications.

The engine has been developed and tested at ABC Engines’ facility in Ghent and is designed to operate entirely on hydrogen, without the need for pilot fuels. This simplifies system design and removes onboard carbon emissions at source, positioning the technology as a practical option for operators exploring zero-carbon propulsion.

Claudene Sharp-Patel, Global Technical Director, Lloyd’s Register, said: “The issue of this Type Approval Certificate demonstrates that hydrogen-fuelled internal combustion engine technology is continuing to mature as a viable option for maritime applications.

“For shipowners and operators, independent certification is essential in building confidence that emerging fuel technologies can meet the industry’s expectations for safety, reliability and operational performance.”

Tim Berckmoes, CEO at ABC Engines, said: “This LRS type approval of our BeHydro 100% hydrogen engines with zero emissions is a confirmation of the future proof technology that BeHydro can offer to innovative shipowners worldwide.

“The 100% hydrogen engine range is available from 900 kW till 2670 kW for different marine applications.”

LR previously awarded Type Approval to BeHydro for its hydrogen-powered dual-fuel engine in 2023, which was the first Type Approval for a dual-fuel hydrogen engine. 

 

Photo credit: Lloyd’s Register
Published: 19 June, 2026

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