CMA CGM and partners prove viability of biofuel as bunkers

The sustainable biofuel oil was used on CMA CGM boxship Alexander Von Humboldt’s North Europe-Asia trip during September to October this year.

The latest trial followed the first refueling of a containership with biofuel when the CMA CGM White Shark took on the bunker during a call at Rotterdam port in March 2019.

The trial saw the sustainable biofuel oil used in a blend with conventional fossil-based marine fuels to power a vessel on a major ocean-going route.

The positive results of the trials demonstrate the viability of advanced biofuels to meet current and future environmental regulations and emissions reductions targets, the three partners stated.

Elisabeth Munck af Rosenschold, head of sustainability at IKEA Global Transport & Logistics Services, said: “We need a diversified portfolio of solutions to achieve our ambitious emissions reduction targets – and marine biofuels are an important part of the puzzle going forward for our sector.”

GoodFuels is supplying the biofuel oil which is virtually SOx free and delivers 80-90% well-to-propeller CO2 reduction versus fossil equivalents.

The trials were achieved through the GoodShipping Program, the world’s first decarbonisation initiative for cargo owners.

The GoodShipping Program works on the premise that, as all CO2 from shipping is emitted into the same atmosphere, the means of mitigating these emissions is equally impactful, regardless of which vessels adopt biofuels over traditional bunker fuels - or the amount of ‘drop in’ biofuel that is added to the fuel tank, as long as it offsets the CO2 costs of transporting participating shippers' cargo.

“These landmark trials give the maritime sector a vital demonstration into the scalability, sustainability and technical compliance of marine bio-fuel oil, confirming CMA CGM’s leading role in the energy transition of the industry,” commented Xavier Leclercq, vice president of CMA Ships, CMA CGM.

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