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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.

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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.

Related: GCMD, BCG survey highlights three maritime decarbonisation archetypes
Related: GCMD and partners complete bunkering of third biofuel supply chain trial, involving tracer dosing
Related: Completed safety study paves way for first ammonia bunkering pilot in Singapore
Related: GCMD-led consortium completes trials of sustainable biofuel bunker supply chains

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

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Biofuel

NYK conducts first Japan bio bunker fuel trial on coal carrier for domestic power utility firm

Firm said it has started a biofuel test run on Noshiro Maru, operated by Tohoku Electric Power, marking the first time in Japan that a coal carrier has been used to test biofuel for a domestic power utility firm.

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NYK conducts first Japan bio bunker fuel trial on coal carrier for domestic power utility firm

Japanese shipping firm NYK on Monday (10 February) said it has started a biofuel test run on its coal carrier Noshiro Maru, which is operated by Tohoku Electric Power on 9 February.

This is the first time in Japan that a coal carrier has been used to test biofuel for a domestic power utility company. Mitsubishi Corporation Energy in the Keihin area facilitated the supply of biofuel for the vessel.

Biofuels are made from organic resources (biomass) of biological origin, such as agricultural residues and waste cooking oil, and are considered to produce virtually zero carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions when combusted.

“Since they can be used in heavy-oil-powered ship engines, which are common on large merchant ships, biofuels are considered a key means of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the transition period from heavy oil to zero-emission fuels,” NYK said. 

“Using biofuel to reduce GHG emissions during sea navigation also contributes to reducing Scope 3 GHG emissions generated by transporting customers’ cargo.”

NYK added it will continue to focus on introducing biofuels and other next-generation fuels, and will contribute to reducing GHG emissions in our customers' supply chains while promoting decarbonisation in marine transport.

 

Photo credit: NYK
Published: 11 February, 2025

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Biofuel

IBIA welcomes IMO move to draft guidance change on carriage of bio bunker fuels

IBIA welcomed agreement by IMO’s Sub Committee on PPR 12 to draft Interim Guidance on the carriage of blends of biofuels and MARPOL Annex I cargoes by conventional bunker ships.

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RESIZED IBIA logo

The International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA) on Monday (10 February) said it submitted a document to IMO on the carriage of biofuels for supply to a ship for use as fuel oil on board that ship in November 2023.

This highlighted that as conventional bunker vessels were limited in carrying fuel oil of no more than 25% biofuel it presented a potential impediment to the global adoption of biofuels as fuel oil for ships and so to the ambition for the decarbonization of international shipping in the short term, as set out in the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy.

“IBIA therefore welcomes the agreement by IMO’s Sub Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR 12) to draft Interim Guidance on the carriage of blends of biofuels and MARPOL Annex I cargoes by conventional bunker ships,” it said on its website. 

The guidance allows conventional bunker ships certified for carriage of oil fuels under MARPOL Annex I to transport blends of not more than 30% by volume of biofuel, as long as all residues or tank washings are discharged ashore, unless the oil discharge monitoring equipment (ODME) is approved for the biofuel blend(s) being shipped. 

“The Interim Guidance is expected to be approved by IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 83) in April,” IBIA added. 

“IBIA’s membership represents stakeholders from across the global marine fuel value chain, and being able to draw on this technically strong and credible resource will, in its role of having consultative status to the IMO, mean that IBIA will continue to bring important matters to the attention of the wider IMO membership for due consideration.”

 

Photo credit: International Bunker Industry Association
Published: 11 February, 2025

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Alternative Fuels

Ammonia, methanol bunkering infrastructures among 39 projects to receive EU funding

Both projects aim to deploy a ship-to-ship bunkering system at the ports of Huelva and Algeciras respectively and include a 7500 m3 bunkering vessel each.

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Guillaume Périgois on Unsplash

Two projects involving ammonia and methanol bunkering infrastructures in the ports of Huelva and Algeciras in Spain were among 39 projects to receive funding under the first cut-off deadline of 2024-2025 Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility (AFIF) of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), according to the European Commission recently. 

The first ammonia bunkering infrastructure will be in Algecirasa as part of the Andalusian Green Hydrogen Valley. The project aims to deploy a ship-to-ship ammonia bunkering system in the port of Algeciras. 

It includes a 7500 m3 ammonia bunkering vessel, an on-shore ship loading system and the piping infrastructure for the transport of ammonia from the production site to the loading dock.  

Meanwhile, the first methanol bunkering infrastructure will be in Huelva, also as part of the Andalusian Green Hydrogen Valley. The project aims to deploy a ship-to-ship methanol bunkering system in the port of Algeciras. 

It includes a 7500 m3 methanol bunkering vessel, an on shore ship loading system and the piping infrastructure for the transport of methanol from the production site to the loading dock.

The coordinator for both bunkering projects is Spanish bunker and biofuel supplier CEPSA. 

The European Commission said the EU is allocating nearly EUR 422 million to the 39 projects that will deploy alternative fuels supply infrastructure along the trans-European transport network (TEN-T), contributing to decarbonisation. 

With this selection, the AFIF will support other projects including approximately 2,500 electric recharging points for light-duty vehicles and 2,400 for heavy-duty vehicles along the European TEN-T road network, 35 hydrogen refuelling stations for cars, trucks and buses, the electrification of ground handling services in eight airports and the greening of nine ports.

Following EU Member States’ approval of the selected projects on 4 February, the European Commission will adopt the award decision in the coming months, after which the results will become definitive. 

The European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) has started the preparation of the grant agreements with the beneficiaries of successful projects.

Note: The full list of successful projects can be viewed here.

 

Photo credit: Guillaume Périgois on Unsplash
Published: 11 February, 2025

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