Classification society DNV on Tuesday (21 February) released a technical article to clarify the regulatory status and other considerations on the usage of such fuels after seeing an increasing interest in biofuel bunkers or biofuel blends. The following is an excerpt of it:
Relevant for shipowners, managers, seafarers, maritime training institutes and flag states.
DNV has received many requests regarding the safe operation of ships using biofuels and/or biofuel blends and how to comply with international regulations when using these fuels. Below is a summary of regulatory issues, safety and operational aspects:
Types of biofuels
Three types of biofuels are relevant for maritime shipping:
Currently, FAME is the most prominently used biofuel in marine applications. It is either used in blends with traditional petroleum fuels or as 100% biofuel
Biofuels and their effect on GHG regulations
The Maritime Safety Committee has invited all relevant IMO bodies to assess their respective involvement in the human element within their remit and report back to the committee with a view to devising an outline for a holistic approach on the human element, taking into account resource and budgetary implications within the IMO. In this regard, HTW 9 invited member states and other interested parties to submit papers to HTW 10 in February 2024.
Model training courses
IMO model courses intend to assist instructors in developing training programmes for seafarers as per the International Convention of Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW), 1978. The model courses are subject to regular review to ensure that they are consistent with the current IMO instruments and reflect best practices and modern technologies.
HTW 9 validated a large number of model courses, as there was a backlog due to time constraints in the remote sessions of the last two years.
The following model courses are now validated and will be published soon:
Note: The full copy of DNV’s technical article on biofuels can be found here.
Photo credit: DNV
Published: 23 February, 2023
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