GCMD completes traced biofuel supply chain study

The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) has completed a final traced biofuel shipment as part of a two-year pilot study aimed at assuring the integrity of the supply chain and ensuring fuel authenticity.

The objective of the pilots is to develop a quality, quantity and greenhouse gas (GHG) abatement "assurance framework" for drop-in green fuels, renewable fuels made from biomass sources which can be blended with petroleum products.

The latest trial involved a biofuel blended with a blend of very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) and neat fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) produced from food waste, supplied by petroleum giant bp and marked with an organic-based tracer to authenticate the origin and verify the amount of FAME present in the blend.

The tracer has been developed by GCMD and Authentix to assist in ensuring supply chain integrity and the certification of product origin – given that the sustainability of biofuels can be variable depending on how they are [produced – as well as the detection of fuel manipulation issues such as adulteration, dilution, substitution, and smuggling.

Previous supply chain trials in GCMD's pilot programme have used carbon dating, chemical fingerprinting and a lock-and-seal methodology to track sustainable biofuels from their production facilities to their consumption onboard vessels

All told, 4,500 tonnes of the fuel – marked at a storage terminal outside the Netherlands – was bunkered (supplied for use during loading and shipping) by the Hapag-Lloyd container vessel Tihama, which then sailed to the Port of Rotterdam.

Fuel testing company Veritas Petroleum Services (VPS) witnessed the operation from biofuel cargo transfer to bunkering, and also collected and conducted laboratory tests on samples of the biofuel and biofuel blend collected at pre-determined points along the supply chain to assess quality.

The consumption of the biofuel blend resulted in around 28 per cent lower emissions compared to sailing on VLSFO, while the neat fame had an 85% reduction compared to regular marine gas oil, showing how the biofuel can help meet decarbonisation targets by the maritime transport industry.

The data will be used to develop the assurance framework for shipowners, charterers and operators when it comes to the use of drop-in green fuels, which typically are more expensive than fossil fuels, and lower barriers to adoption of more sustainable options.

"Over the past 18 months, GCMD has meticulously conducted these supply chain trials of biofuels use under business-as-usual conditions, collaborating with partners to test different tracing techniques," commented Prof Lynn Loo, the Singapore-based group's chief executive.

"The aim is to remove adoption barriers and increase user confidence and uptake of biofuels by assuring users that they are getting value for the cost premium, mitigating fears of biofuels adulteration, and preventing fraud."