Mabanaft supplies Hapag-Lloyd with B30 marine biofuel in Port of Hamburg, Germany

Photo: Mabanaft

Energy company Mabanaft has reached an agreement with the shipping company Hapag-Lloyd for the supply of B30 marine biofuel. 

An initial test delivery of 1,000 metric tons of B30 very-low sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO) from Mabanaft’s Waltershof tank terminal in the Port of Hamburg, Germany, was scheduled Dec. 12 for the container ship Delaware Express.

The delivery follows “an extensive analysis of possible biocomponents that Mabanaft can add to B30 biofuel,” the company said.

All options were analyzed for their quality and potential to reduce greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions.

The agreement with Hapag-Lloyd is for the initial supply of 1,000 tons of B30.

Additional volumes could follow in 2025.

“The demands on the shipping industry to use cleaner fuels will continue to increase in the coming years,” said Helmut Oldekamp, Mabanaft’s head of marine fuels and industry. “We are prepared for this and will support our customers in the best possible way with solutions for the energy transition.”

With B30 biofuel, Mabanaft is able to offer a fuel that can be used without engine modifications, thus reducing GHG emissions in the short term.

“We are very pleased that Mabanaft is providing biofuels in the Port of Hamburg,” said Jan Christensen, the senior director of global fuel purchasing at Hapag-Lloyd. “The cooperation between suppliers and buyers and the establishment of real trials will help to further improve the availability of biofuels. Our goal is to achieve net-zero fleet operations by 2045—and biofuels will play an important role in this.”

Until now, the Port of Hamburg has played only a minor role in the business with bunker fuels such as B30, as Rotterdam and Singapore have been the main hubs for handling marine biofuel.

“We want to change that,” said Michael Wiring, Mabanaft’s senior marine-fuels trader. “The agreement with Hapag-Lloyd is a great opportunity to make more B30 biofuel available in Hamburg in the future.” 

Mabanaft said the project reinforces its commitment to offer customers a broad and flexible product range that provides both conventional and low-carbon fuel solutions.