The CMA CGM Group, a leader in shipping and logistics, with the support of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), started biofuel bunkering in Singapore as part of its global trial to scale up the wider adoption of clean energy.
Its 10,640-TEU vessel, APL PARIS, was the first of the Group’s vessels on trial to be bunkered with biofuel in Singapore on February 23rd, 2022. Ship-to-containership biofuel bunkering was conducted alongside simultaneous container loading and discharging operations before the vessel plies the Asia-South America rotation of the Pacific East Coast 2 service.
With this new global trial, the CMA CGM Group keeps moving forward to make shipping and logistics a more sustainable industry and reach its goal to go beyond carbon neutrality and become a Net Zero Carbon company by 2050.
In a statement, it said that the 6-month global trial will involve up to 32 containerships running on a different blend of biofuel to measure carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions in order to obtain a trend analysis, which will be shared with the respective flag administration including MPA.
It said that Some of these vessels will be fuelled in Singapore with B24 biofuel, which comprises 24% used cooking oil methyl ester (UCOME) in the advanced biofuel blended with conventional fuels.
Ranging from ship sizes between 2,200 and 10,640 TEUs, these vessels on trial will serve several trade lanes including Asia-South America, Asia-Africa, Asia-Oceania, Asia-Mediterranean, North Europe–Oceania, and North Europe-North America.
B24 can reduce carbon emissions by 21%. Completely compatible with modern ship engines, this “drop-in” fuel option can be run on all vessel types without requiring technical, safety, or design adjustments, enabling ships to quickly start limiting their emissions.
Made from used cooking oil collected from food manufacturers, F&B businesses and households, the conversion of waste cooking oil into biofuel for transportation promotes a circular economy, providing a new and environmentally beneficial use for consumed oil.