Finnish shipping company ESL Shipping Ltd., part of Aspo Plc., Thursday (25 October) said its vessel m/s Viikki was fuelled in Raahe, Finland with 100% renewable liquefied biogas (LBG) to transport iron ore for the Swedish steel company SSAB.
This marks the first time when 100% renewable LBG is used for maritime transport in Finland, it said.
LBG reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 85% compared to fossil fuels. The biogas was supplied by Nordic gas sector and energy market expert Gasum.
“This marks another milestone in our long continuum of sustainability-related investments and actions of recent years,” said Mikki Koskinen, Managing Director of ESL Shipping.
We have been doing long-term environmental work together with SSAB for years and now we are taking a new, significant step towards fossil-free maritime transport.”
The wider use of biogas has been delayed by the relatively limited availability of biogas at ports. There is also the cost factor to consider but nowadays more and more companies are seeing the value of reducing emissions throughout their supply chains.
One of the forerunners is SSAB who aims to bring fossil-free steel to the market as the world’s first steel company as early as 2026. The entire company’s operations are scheduled to be fossil-free by 2045.
ESL Shipping has made significant investments to improve the energy efficiency and eco-friendliness of its fleet. The LNG-fueled newbuilding m/s Viikki and its sister vessel Haaga, both delivered in 2018, are the eco-friendliest dry bulk cargo vessels in the world.
Related: ESL Shipping secures long-term LNG bunker supply
Photo credit: ESL Shipping Ltd.
Published: 12 June, 2020
Vessel will run mostly using electric power and be fitted with an auxiliary engine that runs on the renewable hydrogenated vegetable oil.
Vessel was built at Shin Kurushima Dockyard of Shin Kurushima Toyohashi Shipbuilding; it is NYK's second LNG-fuelled car carrier after “Sakura Leader”.
Market and technical feasibility studies on Bio-LNG, battery and battery-hybrid among research items.
Group will jointly design a ship in a digital space together with ABS to conduct simulations of navigation that assumes meteorological conditions in actual seas.
First newbuild due for delivery in 2021 after being launched at the yard in April, with second and third vessels set to be delivered in the first half of 2022.
Vessel will have a capacity of 4,227 lane metres and capability to transport heavy cargo with a unit weight of up to 100 tonnes.
‘This biofuel bunker delivery represents a new chapter for Eng Hua as we are now moving with the times towards the era of decarbonisation,’ Mike Sin, Director at Eng Hua, tells bunkering publication Manifold Times.
MPA has also asked Glencore to improve its internal procedures to ensure that prompt action is taken in future when it becomes aware of, or reasonably suspects, any irregularity in fuel quality, it states.
Dynamic Asset Investments Limited and Goldsland Holdings Co Ltd helped Vermont UM Bunkering maintain a “Cash Float” of about SGD 100,000 to facilitate “buyback” bunker transactions at Singapore port.
Senior Cargo Officer gained SGD 48,800 worth of commission from “buyback” bunker transactions and illegally obtained SGD 410,712.257 by cheating Vermont, a Singapore court heard on Thursday (21 July).
Firm hopes to leverage partnership in Greece as a springboard to expand into neighbouring and overseas markets including Europe and China, says Robin Van Elderen, Regional Head Bunkers, Europe, Sing Fuels.
Singapore can help less developed countries in SouthEast Asia through ‘piloting and scaling fuels and technology as well as a leading hub for green finance’, said DNV Group President and CEO Remi Eriksen.
