Li Wen, Head of China Team at KPI OceanConnect, based in Singapore, who is an expert in the field of bunker trading, marine fuels, and low-carbon energy strategies, recently shared with Manifold Times on the future of alternative bunker fuels, their availability and uptake in Singapore and China as well as the future of methanol in these two countries.
She also addressed the critical need for collaborative efforts across the marine fuels value chain to drive up the adoption of alternative marine fuels:
MT: What alternative marine fuels should the maritime industry focus on for IMO2030 and IMO2050?
We expect the marine fuels market will have a multi-fuel future to meet the IMO’s targets, with a choice of low-carbon and carbon-neutral alternatives available for powering deep sea vessels.
The industry must evaluate available fuels for both short-term and long-term use to ensure they make the best choice that aligns with their specific needs. Short-term fuels, such as biofuel and fossil LNG, are readily available today, supported by existing infrastructure for production, transportation, and distribution, and are compatible with current vessel technology. In contrast, long-term fuels, like those derived from hydrogen produced by renewable energy-powered electrolysers, are still in early stages of technological development but offer greater decarbonisation potential for operators.
When advising our global clients, we leverage our expertise across all fuel types, ensuring that ship owners and operators can select the best fuel aligned with their operational needs and decarbonisation goals. Through our contractual partnerships with some of the largest industry players, we differentiate ourselves by driving innovation in green fuels and infrastructure development projects.
KPI OceanConnect is committed to partnering with the industry to accelerate the transition to sustainable marine fuels and developing tailored strategies that lead the way in sustainability and operational efficiency.
MT: What is the current availability and uptake of these fuels in Asia, particularly in Singapore and China, and its supply forecast?
China has the infrastructure to be a major provider of biofuel, particularly UCOME but, presently, customs regulations are a barrier to this growth. These restrictions increase the price and lower the availability of biofuels in China. Once these customs challenges are resolved, we expect China-grown biofuel blends to take off and uptake to increase, like markets in Singapore and Europe.
Looking at LNG, China has five LNG bunker vessels in operation which are supported with demand largely from container vessels. Major suppliers have invested in LNG bunker vessels, which means China is comparatively well positioned as a supplier on the global market. As the fleet of dual-fuel vessels operating on LNG expands in the coming years, we expect to see the volume of LNG supplied by China to rise exponentially.
As in most of the rest of the world, long-term alternative fuels, such as methanol and ammonia, remain very much in development, limiting their availability.
MT: What are the challenges for a trading firm, such as KPI OceanConnect, to incorporate such alternative marine fuels into its product portfolio and how does the company solve them to ensure shipowners get the correct type of fuel at specific ports when needed?
In helping the industry adopt alternative fuels, we see a huge opportunity to drive partnerships across the value chain to meet our clients’ goals. By establishing these partnerships, we can connect the supply side and demand side of the equation and encourage investment in alternative fuel infrastructure. As a market leader, this is our area of expertise and we are actively pushing to accelerate the energy transition by sharing our knowledge and insights with industry partners.
With this approach, we can support suppliers of alternative fuels in finding a market, while assuring ship owners and operators that they will be able to access alternative fuels as they adopt new technologies. This may mean we find ourselves working with multiple suppliers to ensure they can deliver for our clients. Enabling the uptake of these fuels will depend on being more engaged with the supply chain and this is something we do, with our last mile delivery experience, and will continue to do.
The energy transition is still in its early stages and demand levels in Asia in particular reflect this. While in Europe there are a lot of regulations and incentives to invest in low-carbon fuels, the equivalent is not present in Asia. In this regulatory environment, the industry may need to look to the IMO to drive decarbonisation as well as work with industry partners to future-proof operations.
It is important we act as a partner to our clients during this energy transition, and the feedback we have had from our customers tells us this role remains important.
MT: With Singapore’s recent announcement that it is ready for commercial scale operations for shore-to-ship, ship-to-ship, and SIMOPS for methanol, where do you think Singapore is heading with methanol bunkering after this?
From KPI OceanConnect’s perspective, it is encouraging to see Singapore committing to be a frontrunner in yet another new area of the marine energy industry. This development is a positive step towards building the framework and infrastructure for the use of methanol as a part of the fuel mix.
However, the readiness of Singapore to fully meet the demand for green methanol, as in many other locations, is still uncertain at this stage. The Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) is best positioned to provide more detailed insights on how they plan to address this matter and its overall strategy.
MT: An expert earlier informed Manifold Times of the increasing supply of green methanol coming from China post 2025; do you agree with the development and how green methanol avails from China can support the bunkering industry in Singapore, China and rest of the world?
Chinese projects for green methanol are getting a lot of attention; however, most of these projects have not yet reached the final investment decision. Like the rest of the world, until the projects reach FID status, there is a need for more clarity on whether they will produce any green methanol in the future. Therefore, the prospect of green methanol from China in 2025 is quite optimistic and we do not anticipate production on a large scale.
In terms of availability, when green methanol production is up and running, the volume will likely cover demand at key ports in China. As production increases, the most likely destinations for the export of Chinese green methanol will be Singapore and Hong Kong.
Related: First SIMOPS methanol bunkering operation completed in Singapore
Related: Singapore: Industry expert clarifies rising misconception of methanol bunker fuel carbon intensity
Photo credit: KPI OceanConnect
Published: 7 November, 2024