VeriFuel, Bureau Veritas' Marine Fuel Services programme designed to facilitate the future developments of the marine fuel industry, last week celebrated a milestone in LNG bunkering in Shanghai.

VeriFuel successfully participated in its first LNG bunkering operation about two weeks ago in Shanghai. 

“This marks a significant step forward as we expand our service offerings to meet the growing demand for sustainable fuel solutions,” it said in a social media post.

“With more deliveries already on the way, our new service line is ready to support your LNG bunkering needs. We look forward to partnering with you on this exciting journey towards a more sustainable future.”

According to Bureau Veritas, VeriFuel provides the latest technology in order to monitor global marine fuel activities. 

In 50 countries, VeriFuel provides the inspection services that are performed by in-house bunker surveyors based on uniform procedures and reporting.

Photo credit: VeriFuel
Published: 10 September, 2024

United European Car Carriers (UECC) on Monday (9 September) said Toyota Motor Europe, Ford of Europe and another unnamed major European vehicle manufacturer have signed up for UECC’s Sail for Change sustainability programme. 

The vehicle manufacturers are set to achieve major reductions in emissions from their logistics chain by using UECC vessels fuelled by bioLNG for cargo transport across Europe.

The combined yearly emissions reduction for UECC from the manufacturer trio is estimated at around 80,000 tonnes, or over one-third of its global Scope 1 emissions from ship operations of approximately 220,000 tonnes.

“We are thrilled that three of our major clients have decided to participate in Sail for Change, which demonstrates the power of industry collaboration in advancing decarbonisation. Those willing to invest in sustainable transport now will ultimately reap the rewards as new regulations give a commercial impetus for green operations,” said UECC CEO Glenn Edvardsen.

As well as boosting their environmental performance with lower Scope 3 emissions, all three vehicle manufacturers will be able to significantly reduce their costs exposure to the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), while boosting uptake of alternative low-carbon fuels in line with FuelEU Maritime set to take effect next year, according to UECC’s Energy & Sustainability Manager Daniel Gent.

Under Sail for Change, UECC has facilitated bunkering of ISCC-EU certified bioLNG - or liquefied biomethane - on its five LNG dual-fuel and multi-fuel Pure Car and Truck Carriers (PCTCs) at the Port of Zeebrugge through an earlier agreement with Titan Clean Fuels.

This enables the leading European shortsea RoRo carrier to perform carbon-neutral cargo loading operations across its port network, with customers able to access verified data on emissions reductions with clean fuel use through a CO2 registry covering the entire supply chain.

“UECC has made proactive strides in advancing industry adoption of alternative fuels over the past decade, having also piloted the use of biofuels, and bunkering of bioLNG marks another big step forward, both in reducing the carbon footprint of our clients and increasing demand for low-carbon fuels,” Gent said. 

“Our aim with Sail for Change has been to provide a standalone product that enables our customers to facilitate a sustainable fuel switch in our fleet that has a direct and immediate impact on their emissions.”

And he said industry interest has exceeded UECC’s expectations, resulting in the Green Gas Month initiative being extended beyond July to subsequent months and years. The company is now looking to scale up the programme to allow more companies to participate in future years based on growing demand, according to Gent.

“Our customers have ambitious decarbonisation targets and see that using alternative fuels can cut a significant swath of emissions from maritime transport. There is now also a regulatory payback from using a decarbonisation service. Given it will be more economical to use sustainable fuels at some point in the future, customers are keen to secure supplies now,” he explained. 

Photo credit: United European Car Carriers
Published: 10 September, 2024

LNG bunker fuel supplier Titan on Thursday (5 September) said it completed its first simultaneous bunkering and cargo operation (SIMOPS) at Ghent, Belgium.

Titan supplied 180 metric tonnes (mt) of LNG to the newbuild vessel, Thun Vettern for Furetank Chartering AB.

“This was the first time the Thun Vettern has bunkered in Northern Europe and our first time delivering at the SeaTank terminal, Ghent, Belgium,” the firm said in a social media post. 

“Our Flexfueler 001 performed the SIMOPS delivery, eliminating the need for the Thun Vettern to visit a layby location and enabling a faster turnaround in port.”

Using its Flexfueler bunker barges, Titan said it regularly facilitates SIMOPS to vessels in the ARA region and continues to work with stakeholders across the global value chain to increase access to safe and controlled operations.

“As the leading supplier of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquefied biomethane (LBM), at Titan we’re committed to offering end-to-end, flexible and clean fuel bunkering solutions to our shipping customers,” it added.

Photo credit: Titan
Published: 6 September, 2024