Ocean Network Express (ONE) announced the successful completion of the biofuel trial onboard the 2007-built, 4,803 TEU container ship MOL Endowment.
On 21 December 2022, the vessel was refuelled with 992 metric tons of marine biofuel product at the Port of Singapore.
The vessel, deployed on ONE’s Japan Straits Malaysia (JSM) service, fully utilised the biofuel in 20 days.
In addition, Biofuel consumption started on 7 January 2023, after the vessel left the port of Kobe in Japan, passing Keelung, Hong Kong, and then sailed to Southeast Asia. The biofuel was fully consumed on 26 January 2023, on its return voyage to Japan from Port Klang.
The fuel that was used, B24 is a blend of Used Cooking Oil Methyl Ester (UCOME), and Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (VLSFO). In particular, UCOME is produced from Used Cooking Oil (UCO), which is derived from residue or feedstocks labelled as 100% waste and has been certified for its sustainability in accordance with internationally recognized ISCC standards.
ONE explains below how the project worked:
“The biofuel blend was supplied by Chevron, and it is considered a sustainable fuel that is similar to petroleum-derived marine fuels in terms of its operational application.
Tracing these biofuels along the supply chain from production to use is a key aspect of GCMD’s pilot to articulate a robust GHG abatement assurance framework.
As such, the biofuel and its blends were dosed with a physical tracer and subjected to multiple samplings across its supply chain for laboratory analysis. The resultant data will be used by GCMD as inputs in developing the assurance framework.
The trial required no modifications to the marine engines or fuel infrastructure. It also demonstrated that marine biofuel products can be considered ‘Drop-in fuels’ for reducing carbon emissions from ships.
The use and testing of the biofuel were performed in partnership with shipowner Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd., and the biofuel was supplied in accordance with the standard on specifications of marine biofuel (WA2:2022) established by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.”
ONE noted that the trial marked a step forward in digitisation as the biofuel transaction was made digitally through the Singapore Trade Data Exchange (SGTraDex), a digital utility that facilitates the sharing of data between supply chain ecosystem partners through a common data highway to enable secure exchange of information.
This digitisation of bunkering documents that this programme offers helped to reduce the paper-based processes and made the transaction both more efficient and secure, according to ONE’s statement.
