Total Energies Marine Fuels completes COSCO Shipping Lines’ 1st bunkering of marine biofuel

Photo: Total Energies

Total Energies Marine Fuels has successfully completed the first refueling of a COSCO Shipping Lines containership with sustainable marine biofuel. This operation marks Total Energies’ first biofuel-bunkering operation for a containership in Singapore.

Last month, the 4,250 20-foot equivalent unit (TEU) COSCO Houston container vessel was bunkered with Total Energies-supplied biofuel in Singapore waters, via ship-to-ship transfer.

Very low sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO) blended with 20 percent second-generation, waste-based and ISCC-certified methyl ester biodiesel made from used cooking oil was bunkered via an operation that was made possible with support from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the involvement of local partners such as tank storage company, Vopak Terminals Singapore at Penjuru.

From a well-to-wake assessment, the biofuel will reduce approximately 17 percent of greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions compared with conventional fuel oil. The biofuel has been consumed during the container vessel’s voyage to Jakarta, Indonesia.

“We are honored to partner with COSCO Shipping Lines, one of the world’s largest container shipping companies, in their decarbonization journey with the provision of their first biofuel-bunker stem,” said Laura Ong, Total Energies Marine Fuels’ general manager of trading and operations for Asia-Pacific based in Singapore. “This successful collaboration lays a foundation for both companies to explore new joint initiatives that promote the introduction of clean, low-carbon alternative fuels. This milestone bio-bunkering operation also further validates the important role of biofuels in decarbonizing conventional marine fuels, and the potential greenhouse-gas reduction gains it can bring to existing vessels. In line with Total Energies’ climate ambition to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 together with society, we will continue to scale up our biofuel capabilities and to support the growing interest for sustainable marine biofuels in this region.”

This operation follows successful biofuel bunkering trials that Total Energies Marine Fuels performed in Singapore with a vehicle carrier operated by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. and a bulk carrier chartered by NYK Line this year.

Biofuels provide an immediate and sustainable solution to decarbonize shipping today, as they can be blended or dropped into existing conventional fuels with little or no technological developments required on vessels.

As part of Total Energies’ strategy to produce a new generation of biofuels for use in transport, Total Energies is investing in advanced biofuels projects based on sustainable feedstock, thereby sourcing from the circular economy and limiting the competition for and impact on arable land.

These initiatives reinforce its climate ambition to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. In parallel, Total Energies Marine Fuels is committed to drive the decarbonization of shipping through the provision of clean and low-carbon marine-fuel solutions across the short and long term.

With more than three decades of market experience, Total Energies Marine Fuels is Total Energies’ dedicated business unit in charge of worldwide bunkering activities. A long-term partner to the global shipping industry, Total Energies Marine Fuels serves more than 200 shipping customers across 120-plus ports in Europe, Asia-Pacific and Africa. Its headquarters is located in Singapore, with two satellite offices in Paris and Geneva.

In order to help its shipping customers adopt the cleanest available marine fuels today, Total Energies Marine Fuels has made key investments to supply marine LNG, bioLNG and biofuels at strategic bunker hubs. As part of its ongoing work in various maritime coalitions and cross-industry R&D initiatives, Total Energies Marine Fuels is also helping to shape the production of decarbonized future fuels for shipping.