Events

TMS Tanker conference: Collaboration is key to accelerate path to net zero in shipping

The need for collaboration between stakeholders to achieve this objective was stressed by speakers, as was the importance of harnessing new technology, including digitalisation and AI-based tools.

Published

1 week ago

November 22, 2024

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TMS Tanker conference: Collaboration is key to accelerate path to net zero in shipping

Environmental issues and factors influencing the sustainability of tanker shipping as it steps up to play its full part in decarbonising the industry in decades to come were the dominant themes of The Maritime Standard Tanker Conference 2024, which took place on 7 November at The Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai.

According to The Maritime Standard, the need for collaboration between stakeholders to achieve this objective was stressed by a number of speakers, as was the importance of harnessing new technology, including digitalisation and AI-based tools.

The importance of engaging ships’ crew in the process of decarbonisation and ensuring they have the right skill sets to enable fleet owners and operators to deliver their objectives was also highlighted by several speakers during the event.

The 2024 TMS Tanker Conference, which featured a programme of expert presentations, lively panel discussions, and a number of interesting questions from the floor, was structured around the theme “Sustainable Tanker Shipping – Accelerating the Journey to Net Zero.”

Opening the conference, TMS Editor, Clive Woodbridge, said: “The industry is facing its share of challenges as it seeks to decarbonise and move to net zero. The need to invest, not only in new environment friendly tonnage, but in retrofitting existing ships, is going to be a paramount concern, while there will also be renewed focus on improving operational efficiency, to reduce fuel consumption and hence cut emissions.”

The opening session, on “Sustainable Shipping Strategies – Assessing Optimum Solutions”, was preceded by a keynote speech from Capt. Mohamed Al Ali, Senior Vice President, ADNOC Logistics and Services.

Stressing the need for aligning strategies with the imperative of sustainability, not just for industry stakeholders but for the communities it serves, he said: “As we stand at this crossroads, let us be reminded that the moment for bold action is upon us. It is said that fortune favours the brave. We say the brave make their own fortune.”

Also providing a keynote address was Shahab al Jassmi, Senior Vice President, Ports and Terminals Commercial, DP World, who said the industry was entering a new era and that, “By leveraging our innovative minds and building strategic partnerships we can truly excel in delivering sustainability.”

Other speakers in this first session, which laid the foundations for the day-long discussions, included Captain Ammaar Al Shaiba, CEO, Maritime and Shipping Cluster, AD Ports Group; Captain Franck Kayser, Chief Operating Officer, Asyad Shipping Company; Nitin Mathur, Head of Commercial Maritime, Al Seer Marine; Richard De Vries, Head of Sales MEA & India, Lloyds Register; and Peter Sahlen, Alfa Laval Technologies AB.

Session 2, on “Driving Greater Operational Efficiency in Tanker Shipping,” was moderated by Ali Shehab, Global Director of Special Projects and Services, DNV, and featured a wide range of speakers from different industry backgrounds.

These included: Ali Abouda, Group CFO, Gulf Navigation Holding; Capt. Amarjit Kauchhur, Vice President, Middle East/ Regional Director, International Registries (UK) Limited – Dubai Branch; Capt. Savraj Mehta, CCO, NorthStandard; Maria Kristina Javellana, General Manager – Head of Fleet, Hafnia Middle East; Katherine Yakunchenkova, Managing Director, Al Safina Security; Alessandra Burke, CEO, K2 Bunker Fuel Supply; Dipak Karki, Founder and Managing Director, DK2 Seaport; Capt. Onur Yildrim, Global Marine Manager, Advanced Polymer Coatings and Stam Achillas, Head of Business Development & Sales, 2-Stroke Fuel Conversions, Wärtsilä Services.

The final session, on “Creating Robust Support Systems Infrastructure” ended the event on a high, with speakers from the worlds of ship finance, digitalisation, maritime law, classification, Sale & Purchase and surveying.

Moderated by Tien Tai, a partner at HFW, the panel included Chris Peters, Senior Executive Officer, Montfort Capital; Mark Lakin, Partner, Stephenson Harwood; Jamil Al Ali, Middle East Regional Commercial & Business Development Director, Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore; Khalil Rehman Aziz, Managing Director, MariApps Marine Solutions; Faidon Panagiotopoulos, Trader/Purchase Representative (Sale & Purchase), GMS; Nitin Mehta and Capt. Zarir Irani, Managing Director, Constellation Marine Services & Chairman Nautical Institute UAE branch.

Clive Woodbridge concluded: “This conference left no doubt that environmental issues are firmly established at the top of the corporate agendas of tanker shipping owners and operators. But there was an awareness that different segments of the business have to work together more effectively, and that, while technology is important, the human element is sometimes a part of the total picture that is sometimes given less priority than it needs to. This is an important learning point for the future and will be a key feature of our conference programme for 2025.”

Photo credit: The Maritime Standard
Published: 22 November, 2024

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Biofuel

Singapore: GCMD introduces new technique for FAME bio bunker fuel fingerprinting

Fingerprinting identifies feedstock origins of FAME-based biofuels used in shipping industry; can be used as a potential tool to detect fraud in marine fuel supply chains and ensure biofuel authenticity.

Published

9 hours ago

December 2, 2024

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Singapore: GCMD introduces new technique for FAME bio bunker fuel fingerprinting

The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) on Monday (2 December) released its latest report, presenting a new technique that creates a fingerprint for Fatty Acid Methyl Esters(FAME) bio bunker fuels.

This fingerprint identifies the feedstock origins of the FAME-based biofuels used in the shipping industry.

GCMD said FAME fingerprinting is needed as the shipping sector is increasingly using biofuels, such as FAME, to reduce its GHG emissions. With that, concerns have arisen regarding the legitimacy of biofuels and whether they are truly sustainable.

Industry bodies are seeing a rising number of cases mislabelling biofuels purported to be made from recycled oils and fats, while suspicions persist that they might be produced from cheaper and less sustainable virgin oils.

“To address these concerns, FAME fingerprinting can be used as a potential tool to detect fraud in marine fuel supply chains and ensure biofuel authenticity. By providing a physical validation method that complements existing certification schemes, FAME fingerprinting can help justify the green premium with genuine environmental benefits and safeguard the integrity of marine fuels supply chain,” GCMD said.

FAME fingerprinting is based on the principle that the fatty acid profile of FAME is unique to its feedstock and can be preserved during feedstock transesterification to produce FAME. The "fingerprint" can then be compared against a database of known fatty acid profiles to identify the feedstock origin.

GCMD worked with VPS who modified existing fuel testing methods to carry out sample analyses using a gas chromatograph with flame-ionisation detection, an instrument commonly found in fuel test laboratories.

The analysis takes about an hour, comparable to the turnaround time for current marine fuel quality testing in the supply chain.

“We have tested this method on a variety of FAME samples from different suppliers, including virgin oils, used cooking oils, palm oil mill effluent, beef tallow and food waste and were able to identify the feedstock origins for each sample,” GCMD added.

Manifold Times previously reported Captain Rahul Choudhuri, President, Strategic Partnerships at marine fuels testing company VPS, forecasting the use of finger printing technology today will likely establish a blueprint of how future alternative bunker fuels’ feedstocks are authenticated.

Captain Choudhuri said this when he gave an update of VPS’ biofuels finger printing trials with GCMD.

Note: The full report, titled ‘Rapid forensic analysis of FAME-based biofuels: Potential use of its fingerprint as a fraud detection tool’, can be downloaded here.

Photo credit: Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation
Published: 2 December, 2024

Methanol

PLAGEN to produce and supply green methanol bunker fuel with Latvia plant

Korean firm’s MoU with AE Risinājumi will see construction of Latvia’s first commercial-scale green methanol production plant, which will supply green methanol to ships in EU’s maritime fleet.

Published

9 hours ago

December 2, 2024

Admin

PLAGEN to produce and supply green methanol bunker fuel with Latvia plant

South Korean clean energy firm PLAGEN on Friday (29 November) signed an MOU with Latvian company, AE Risinājumi, for the production of green methanol in Latvia at the “2024 Latvia-Korea Business Forum” hosted by the President of Latvia.

The agreement will result in the construction of Latvia's first commercial-scale green methanol production plant, which will supply green methanol to ships in the EU's maritime fleet, contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from maritime transportation.

PLAGEN's MoU aims to produce 20,000 metric tonnes (mt) of green methanol per year and will begin feasibility studies in the first half of 2025, and full-scale production will begin in 2028.

With 53% of Latvia's land area covered by forests, timber production and wood processing make a significant contribution to Latvia’s economic production, which generates a large amount of forest residues and wood wastes. In addition, Latvia also has an abundance and low price of renewable electricity from wind power.

Latvia is one of the most competitive countries in the European Union, as it can produce clean methanol at a competitive price by using abundant wood waste as a raw material and renewable electricity from cheap wind power.

The use of abundant forest residues and wood wastes as a feedstock and cheap renewable electricity from wind power makes it possible to produce green methanol with a competitive price, making Latvia is one of the most competitive countries in the EU.

In the European Union, the European Emissions Trading Scheme (EU-ETS) will come into effect in 2025, requiring shipping companies to purchase carbon credits for their greenhouse gas emissions.

In addition, the EU is implementing FuelEU Maritime, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2% below the 2020 average by 2025 and 80% by 2050. This is expected to result in an energy transition to green methanol.

In July 2023, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted a revised strategy that calls for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships to net-zero by or around 2050, and plans to introduce full-scale regulations from 2027, and shipping companies have begun ordering methanol-powered ships fueled by green methanol, a carbon-neutral fuel.

“We expect to start producing green methanol in Latvia in 2028, which will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from EU maritime transport vessels and contribute significantly to the revitalization of the Latvian economy and national energy security,” said John Kyung, CEO of PLAGEN.

In November 2024, PLAGEN completed the purchase of an industrial complex and received a government permit for the construction of the country's first green methanol plant in Dongjeom Industrial Complex in Taebaek City, Gangwon-do.

The project, which will produce 10,000 mt per year, is scheduled to begin construction in the first half of 2025 and begin production in the second half of 2027.

Photo credit: PLAGEN
Published: 2 December, 2024

VLSFO

ENGINE: Vibra halts VLSFO bunker fuel supply in Brazilian ports

Company said it faced several challenges since starting bunkering operations in the region and decided to end the project to focus on other opportunities.

Published

9 hours ago

December 2, 2024

Admin

Brazilian fuel supplier Vibra has announced it will cease offering VLSFO at Vila do Conde and Belém.

The company said it faced several challenges since starting bunkering operations in the region and decided to end the project to focus on other opportunities.

The market in Vila do Conde and Belém remains competitive. However, pricing pressures in the region have made it increasingly difficult for some players to sustain operations, a source says.

By Debarati Bhattacharjee

Photo credit: Marisa Cornelsen on Unsplash
Source: ENGINE
Published: 2 December, 2024