Total Energies, MOL Group complete marine biofuel bunker operation of vehicle carrier in Singapore

Photo: MOL Group

Total Energies Marine Fuels and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. (MOL) have successfully completed the first biofuel bunker operation for a vehicle carrier in Singapore. The local operation was made possible with support from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.

The MOL-operated car and truck carrier, Heroic Ace, was refueled by Total Energies-supplied biofuel on June 11 via ship-to-ship transfer, while the carrier performed cargo operations simultaneously. The biofuel has been consumed during the carrier’s voyage to Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates.

The biofuel blend used in this trial was comprised of very low sulfur fuel oil blended with 20 percent biodiesel from used cooking oil certified by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification body. From a well-to-wake assessment, the marine biofuel will reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by approximately 17 percent compared with conventional fuel oil.

MOL’s initial analysis of the vehicle carrier’s engine and machinery performance have demonstrated a high compatibility and safe use of the biofuel onboard the vessel.

“We are delighted to work with frontrunners in green shipping, such as MOL, on the use of sustainable biofuels to reduce their vessels’ carbon footprint,” said Laura Ong, Total Energies Marine Fuels’ general manager of trading and operations for Asia-Pacific based in Singapore. “For Total Energies Marine Fuels, we want to develop a sustainable, cost-efficient and low-carbon biofuel solution for customers across different shipping segments. This partnership with MOL has allowed us to build on our amassed biofuels supply-chain capabilities and operational success, to deliver this lower-carbon fuel to a new vessel type.”

Koichi Hirata, general manager of MOL’s car-carrier division, said, “MOL’s car-carrier division has been working on trial usage of biofuel during navigation in the European short-haul trade for more than a year. Today we are very pleased to announce that we have expanded our actions to the long-haul trades and successfully conducted a milestone voyage together with our valued partner, Total Energies. Along with various partnerships we have with Total Energies in many fields, this collaboration in the biofuel field means an important step for MOL. We will continue to accelerate efforts towards a low- and decarbonized vehicle-transportation sector and to develop services required by our customers.”

Total Energies and MOL believe 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 biofuels projects based on animal fat or used oils, thereby sourcing from the circular economy and limiting the competition for and impact on arable land.

These initiatives reinforce Total Energies’ climate ambition to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 together with society. 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.

Biofuel is positioned as an effective alternative to fossil fuels in the MOL Group Environmental Vision 2.1, which includes the achievement of net-zero emissions by 2050. MOL Group continually takes a proactive stance in promoting adoption of clean alternative fuels with the aim of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions in ocean transport.

Total Energies and MOL will continue to build on their successful collaborations to explore new joint initiatives that promote the introduction of clean, low-carbon alternative fuels. Both companies have codeveloped bunker vessels, the Gas Agility and the Gas Vitality, for the supply of marine liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the Northwestern Europe and Mediterranean regions. They are also part of a consortium that seeks to establish an ammonia fuel supply chain in Singapore.