Alternative Fuels

GCMD highlights bunker fuel pilots and trials in inaugural Impact Report

Report highlights its four initiatives to help decarbonise the maritime industry since its establishment in 2021 including studying ammonia as a marine fuel and trials on drop-in green fuels.

Published

1 month ago

October 20, 2023

Admin

The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation on Wednesday (18 October) launched its inaugural Impact Report, highlighting its four initiatives to help decarbonise the maritime industry since its establishment in 2021.

The Impact Report shares progress of the initiative the centre is working on:

Ammonia as a marine fuel

GCMD has completed a safety study identifying the risks associated with ammonia transfer. The study shows that these risks (totalling more than 400) can and should be mitigated to as low as reasonably practicable levels.

Given the need to specify location and other details for hazard identification (HAZID) and coarse quantitative risk assessment (c-QRA), GCMD specified the port of Singapore for the safety study. With Singapore’s position as a major maritime hub with constrained operating areas, i.e. busy sea space, proximity to economic activities, sensitive receptors and stringent specifications in port limits, piloting ammonia bunkering in Singapore will make the guidelines extensible to ports elsewhere in the world.

Following the release of the study, the GCMD projects team, led by Lau Wei Jie, Director of Partnerships and technical lead on this ammonia initiative, is making preparations for piloting ship-to-ship (STS) cargo transfer, within the Port of Singapore, and also at ports elsewhere to ready stakeholders and the ecosystem for ammonia bunkering when ammonia-fuelled vessels become available.

This exercise will help build confidence by undertaking an established operation (i.e. STS transfer of cargo in open waters) within port limits where the risk profiles are substantially elevated to understand and help address regulatory and emergency response requirements. In parallel, conversations have commenced with overseas port authorities and port masters to understand local considerations, including limitations on existing berths for loading/discharging of ammonia, anchorage locations, proximity to sensitive receptors and safety requirements. These discussions help GCMD identify how we can support the building up of capabilities in multiple geographies to support ammonia bunkering.

GCMD is also working closely with Oil Spill Response Limited and their partner BlueTack to develop emergency response procedures.

GCMD has also initiated discussions with Singapore Maritime Academy to co-develop a competency framework to establish training curricula for manpower development in handling ammonia as a bunker fuel. This culminated in a training module on the handling of ammonia as a bunker fuel within SMA’s current course.

Assurance framework for drop-in green fuels

According to CEO Prof Lynn Loo, GCMD successfully completed the trialling of three independent supply chains employing physical tracers and bunkering biofuel blends on five vessels in two different ports. These learnings form the basis of an assurance framework that GCMD is currently drafting.

“Testing of crude algae oil as a marine fuel has begun and GCMD looks forward to supply chain trials in the near future,” she said.

With the data collected from the completed trials and additional data to be collected from the remaining two supply chains, GCMD is working with BCG, an Impact Partner, to develop a robust framework for GHG accounting and conduct green premium cost-benefit analysis of deploying biofuels.

The learnings from these trials and details of the framework will be shared broadly through a public report that will be published in early 2024.

Unlocking the carbon value chain

GCMD is working on the engineering design of a shipboard carbon capture system and collaborating with landside partners to understand the challenges and opportunities of offloading and offtaking captured CO2.

Energy efficiency technologies

GCMD is scoping several pilots to implement energy savings devices onboard vessels with the intention to help close the data-financing gaps for wider adoption.

In conclusion, GCMD said it believed the pilots are essential to accelerating the energy transition in the maritime industry and the recent Global Maritime Decarbonisation survey, conducted with Boston Consulting Group (BCG), reaffirmed this need.

Note: The full report of GCMD’s inaugural Impact Report can be viewed here.

Photo credit: Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation
Published: 20 October, 2023

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Biofuel

Kenoil Marine Services to conduct first-ever bunkering of bio-blended LSMGO in Singapore

“Kosmos Lily” is slated to supply bio-blended LSMGO, sourced from Alpha Biofuels, representing the first-ever bunkering of bio-blended LSMGO in Port of Singapore, says Jurong Port.

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Kenoil Marine Services to conduct first-ever bunkering of bio-blended LSMGO in Singapore

Jurong Port on Wednesday (29 November) said Kenoil Marine Services Pte Ltd, a licensed bunker supplier, successfully loaded 200 metric tonnes of B24 bio-blended Low Sulphur Marine Gas Oil (LSMGO) in Singapore.

The B24 marine biofuel blend was onto Kenoil Marine’s bunker tanker Kosmos Lily.

“Kosmos Lily is slated to supply this bio-blended LSMGO, sourced from Alpha Biofuels, representing the first-ever bunkering of bio-blended LSMGO in the Port of Singapore,” Jurong Port said in a social media post.

“Jurong Port takes pride in serving as the preferred port infrastructure for biofuel bunkering, and supporting the maritime industry's energy transition toward achieving net-zero emissions.”

Separately, Allan Lim Yee Chian, Founder and CEO at Alpha Biofuels, said the firm has been working to produce, blend and supply better quality biofuels for the maritime industry for over the last two years.

“We focused a lot on traceability of the biofuels , stability of the blended product and also the cost of the product,” he said in a social media post.

“The result is a bio-bunker fuel that balances the need for decarbonisation by the industry against the cost of sustainable biofuel.”

Photo credit: Jurong Port
Published: 30 November, 2023

Newbuilding

SeaTech Solutions and partners to develop India’s first electric tug E-VOLT 50

Other partners involved are India’s GRSE, Shift Clean Energy and ABS; GRSE will build an electric tug based on the E-VOLT 50 design by Singapore-based SeaTech Solutions.

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SeaTech Solutions and partners to develop India’s first electric tug E-VOLT 50

Singapore-based marine engineering and vessel design specialist SeaTech Solutions International (S) Pte Ltd on Tuesday (28 November) on Tuesday (28 November) said it inked Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with India’s Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd, Shift Clean Energy and American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) on 22 November.

The collaboration aims to bring to fruition the country’s first Electric Tug E-VOLT 50, an initiative to decarbonise India’s tugboat industry by curbing carbon emissions, enhancing operational efficiency, and establishing new benchmarks for performance and environmental sustainability.

GRSE India will build an electric tug based on the E-VOLT 50 design by SeaTech Solutions International (S) Pte Ltd.

Cmde PR Hari, IN (Retd), Chairman and Managing Director, GRSE, said: “We are excited to be part of this groundbreaking collaboration that combines the expertise of GRSE and three industry-leading organisations.

“E-VOLT 50 is a bold step towards a cleaner and greener future for the maritime sector. By utilizing sustainable energy solutions and cutting-edge technology, we aim to redefine the standards of

performance, efficiency, and environmental stewardship.”

Prabjot Chopra, VP Technology at SeaTech Solutions, said, “We are delighted to work with GRSE, Shift Energy and ABS on this E-VOLT 50, India’s first Electric Tug, which will pave the way for India’s Green port operation.”

“As the collaborative efforts of GRSE, SeaTech Solutions, Shift Energy, and ABS take shape, the Electric Tugs E-VOLT 50 project stands as a testament to India's commitment to fostering a sustainable maritime industry that aligns with global environmental goals,” SeaTech Solutions added.

“This initiative reflects a pivotal moment in the evolution of green shipbuilding, marking a significant stride towards a cleaner, greener, and more efficient future for the maritime sector.”

Photo credit: SeaTech Solutions International
Published: 30 November, 2023

Ammonia

Azane Fuel Solutions and Amogy sign ammonia bunker vessel agreement

MoU was signed to explore technical and commercial feasibility of using Amogy’s ammonia-to-power system on board an Azane developed bunker vessel concept.

Published

23 hours ago

November 30, 2023

Admin

Azane Fuel Solutions and Amogy sign ammonia bunker vessel agreement

Ammonia bunkering solution provider Azane Fuel Solutions and ammonia-to-power technology provider Amogy announced on Wednesday (29 November) they have signed a memorandum of agreement (MoU) to explore the technical and commercial feasibility of using Amogy’s ammonia-to-power system on board an Azane developed bunker vessel concept.

The collaboration will also involve exploring the technical and commercial feasibility of using an Azane ammonia fuel feeder solution integrated into the Amogy power system.

Azane has developed an ammonia fuel bunker vessel concept with a complete ammonia cargo handling system. The company is now looking for solutions to enable carbon free propulsion of the ammonia bunker vessel. When fully developed, Azane plans to offer the ammonia bunker vessels to ports such as Hamburg, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Singapore or other key ports.

Amogy’s ammonia-to-power solution aims to decarbonize the hard-to-abate sectors, including shipping, power generation, and heavy-duty transportation. With Amogy’s solution, the new bunker vessel will be able to reach zero-emissions without compromising the operational and safety requirements.

Amogy and Azane will start exploring the compatibility of their respective technologies and the commercial potential of the combined solutions. The aim being to cooperate on a subsequent pilot project to mature the bunker vessel with the ammonia-to-power solution for commercial applications.

Christian W. Berg, Managing Director, Amogy Norway, said: “We are excited to announce the collaboration with Azane Fuel Solutions on their bunker vessel project. By using our technology, Azane Fuel Solutions can deliver clean ammonia to ships globally with zero emissions from the bunkering operation. This will be a first of its kind for this segment.”

Håkon Skjerstad, CEO of Azane Fuel Solutions, said: “The reason for providing an ammonia bunker vessel is to help decarbonize the shipping industry. Because of this, we need a zero-emission solution to provide propulsion to our vessels. Amogy has a promising technology that can help us reach our strategic ambition of offering zero-emission bunker solutions for deep sea shipping.”

Photo credit: Amogy
Published: 30 November, 2023