ANL trials B20 marine biofuel in Oceania

ANL, a subsidiary of the worldwide shipping firm CMA CGM Group, announced April 13 the success of what it stated is the first biofuel trial on a containerized shipping vessel within Oceania.

The trial, undertaken on ANL’s AAX1 service, was a 42-day rotation beginning in Brisbane, Australia, traveling via Southeast Asia and then onto key Australian ports. The international shipping service carries a vast array of consumer goods from cotton, meat, beverages and dairy to machinery, furniture, fashion textiles and ceramics.

Woolworths Group is a key partner on this biofuel trial, looking to invest in new opportunities to lower supply-chain emissions across the board. Woolworths Group works with ANL through its supply-chain business, Primary Connect, to bring household products to Australia and deliver Australian products to Asia under a range of Woolworths brands.

The trial voyage used a B20 blend of biodiesel supplied by Queensland-based EcoTech Biodiesel while BP Marine and Port of Brisbane played a pivotal role in supplying and bunkering the blended fuel. The Queensland government has also supported the trial through its Biofutures 10-Year Roadmap and Action Plan, which is building on the state’s emerging strengths in biofutures and biofuels to secure local jobs. The prospect of being able to transport these goods with lower emissions could positively impact tens of thousands of consumers from this one sailing.

ANL foresees marine biofuel to be more broadly adopted in Oceania in line with forthcoming International Maritime Organization’s GHG Regulations set to launch in 2023.

The CMA CGM Group is already using marine biofuel onboard container ships that serve Europe. Marine biofuel, together with alternative fuels such as LNG and others, will make up 10 percentage of the CMA CGM Group’s energy mix by 2023.

“This voyage is a crucial step in not only our journey to net-zero carbon but also the industry and region’s evolution to a cleaner and more sustainable way of working,” said Shane Walden, managing director of ANL. “We’re very grateful to our longstanding client Woolworths Group, as our key partner on the trial. Collaboration for the UN Sustainable Development Goals is certainly key.”

Chris Brooks, Woolworths Group director of transport and Primary Connect, added, “We’ve already reduced our own emissions by 27 percent on the path to becoming net carbon positive by 2050, and we want to expand our efforts beyond our own business to make our supply chains greener too. … This biofuel trial is a first of its kind for our business and we’re optimistic about how we can work with innovative partners like ANL to make each link in the supply chain more sustainable for a better tomorrow.”