Hyundai Glovis Korean-flagged PCTC is first to sail on biofuel

Glovis Sunrise was successfully bunkered with drop-in biofuel in December 2022, becoming the first Korean-flagged PCTC to do so. On December 28, 2022, 500 tonnes of GoodFuels’ MDF1-30 biofuel blend was loaded onto the vessel on a port visit to Vlissingen (Flushing) in the Netherlands.

The biofuel trial ran during the vessel’s voyage between Europe and the Middle East, through until late January. No modifications to the ship’s engine or tanks were necessary to use the drop-in fuel.

Hyundai Glovis has chosen biofuels as a core component of its decarbonisation plans for its 153-vessel fleet. GoodFuels claims well-to-wake CO2 emissions reductions of 80-90% for its next-generation biofuels which are produced from certified 100% waste or residue feedstocks.

Tae-Woo Kim, Senior Vice President, Head of Shipping Business Division, at Hyundai Glovis, said: “As we strive to provide efficient and sustainable maritime transportation to global automotive manufacturers, including Hyundai Motor Group, Kia, and Volkswagen, we are delighted to see the results of this biofuels trial, which shows that tangible emissions reductions can be achieved today on existing fleets. Biofuels will also play a key role in our future strategy, as we continue to develop a maritime transportation system tailored to the green supply chains of the future.”

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Dirk Kronemeijer, CEO of GoodFuels, said: “This first bio-bunkering in collaboration with Hyundai Glovis marks an exciting milestone towards decarbonised maritime transport and more sustainable supply chains. It also shows the central role that biofuels can play to reduce shipping’s carbon footprint today, as a safe, convenient and technically viable option to slash emissions from commercial vessels by up to 90%.

 “We are delighted to see biofuels being adopted as a decarbonisation solution in more regions of the world, as this first bio-bunkering for a Korean vessel demonstrates. The climate emergency demands action now, and we are glad to be working with pioneers like Hyundai GLOVIS who are walking the talk of sustainable transport with concrete action.”