Berge Bulk and BHP pilot B100 biofuel voyagesBerge Bulk and BHP pilot B100 biofuel voyages

The 206,330 dwt Newcastlemax bulker Berge Lyngor bunkered B100 biodiesel in December in the first use of such a fuel to transport iron ore from Australia to China.

According to Berge Bulk the B100 biodiesel is derived from vegetable oil, animal fat, tallow and/or waste cooking oil from restaurants and industrial kitchens and translates to an almost 84% reduction in well-to-wake greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to the equivalent quantity of conventional fossil fuel oil.

Berge Bulk started using biodiesel in 2021 and has operated a number of grades including B30, B50, and B100 on voyages between Europe and North America. The Berge Lyngor is the first time the Singapore-headquartered company has used biodiesel in Asia – Pacific.

Berge Bulk has committed to operating a Scope 1 zero emissions vessel by 2030 and achieving zero Scope 1 emissions fleetwide by 2050. 

The shipping company has set it out its emission reduction plans in the rather punningly titled the Berge Bulk Maritime Marshall Plan for decarbonisation – presumably a play of words on name of company CEO James Marshall and the US post war WWII reconstruction programme the Marshal Plan.

In addition to trialling B100 biodiesel Berge Bulk has ordered two ammonia-powered ships to be delivered in 2027 and become a member of the Methanol Institute.