VPS unveils ‘additional protection service’ for ships using marine biofuel

A key factor in the drive to radically reduce emissions will be the choice of fuel used to power ships. Biofuels are an immediate alternative to traditional hydrocarbons—but come with very different fuel-management challenges.

VPS stated that its new APS-Bio service—which stands for “additional protection service for biofuels—has been expertly developed to meet these challenges, helping to ensure ships are fully protected against potential damage when using biofuels to achieve emissions-reduction targets.

For more than 40 years, VPS has worked with the maritime industry to help optimize its fuel management to protect assets, safeguard crew health and safety, and achieve environmental compliance.

With APS-Bio, VPS takes another step forward in helping the industry to meet the challenging emission targets set by the International Maritime Organization while improving vessel operational efficiency.

Global shipping emits 940 million tons of CO2 every year and is responsible for 3 percent of global greenhouse gases (GHG).

The IMO has set challenging targets to reduce these GHG emissions by 50 percent by 2050 compared to 2008—this equates to reducing emissions by almost 500 million tons over the next 28 years.

To meet these targets, vessel owners and operators are actively looking to alternative low- to zero-carbon fuels to help achieve compliance. These include biofuels, LNG, methanol, ammonia and hydrogen.

Biofuels offer an immediate solution in emissions reduction and can be used today. However, these fuels require different and additional considerations in terms of their fuel management, if they are to be successfully used as a marine fuel.

“Biofuels have been quickly recognized as an immediate drop-in option to reduce shipping emissions,” said Steve Bee, group commercial director of VPS. “However, their chemistry and behavior is very different from traditional marine fuels. So their fuel management requires a unique set of laboratory tests and advisory support to assess and monitor their quality. VPS’s APS-Bio provides this service, giving our customers peace of mind when using biofuels.”

By leveraging its vast experience and expertise in marine fuel testing and advisory services, VPS has developed an “additional protection service” for when biofuels are to be used onboard ships.

This innovative suite of analytical testing tools will provide the necessary insight and understanding to help ensure:

• Asset protection

• Operational efficiency

• Legislative compliance

The IMO’s aggressive emission targets will have to be met and biofuels can be part of the answer. VPS expertise regarding the chemistry, behavior and use of biofuels gained through detailed, rigorous research and development programs, fuel studies and sea trials is leading the way in helping the industry understand these fuels and mitigate any associated risks when using biofuels.