Future fuel duel

Biofuels are derived from organic feedstocks like biomass and wastes, and what sets them apart from other alternative fuels is that they are compatible with conventional bunker fuel infrastructure and engines. They can be used in their own pure form or be blended with conventional marine fuels. All in all they can offer a relatively straightforward transition to greater renewable fuel consumption on ships.

Ammonia, by contrast, is a toxic gas made up of nitrogen and hydrogen. Liquefied ammonia can be used directly in internal combustion engines with a pilot fuel in the mix, or in fuel cells for electric propulsion. But to use ammonia, you will need to modify both engine and fuel supply systems. It also presents serious safety concerns that must be carefully addressed.

Despite their differences, both biofuels and ammonia have been identified as possible alternatives to conventional marine fuels. Biofuels offer immediate reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Green and blue ammonia can potentially help shipping achieve near-zero emissions in the future.

Canadian shipping firm CSL announced plans this week to?use?B100 (100% biofuel) on eight of its bulk carriers this year. Canada-based Clean Fuels will supply the B100, which will be made from plant waste.

The US-based cruise line Holland America Line recently?bunkered?B100 biofuel on one of its cruise ships in Rotterdam. It will test this fuel on voyages in Norwegian fjords, where there will be zero-emission limits enforced from 2026. Dutch fuel supplier FincoEnergies supplied the biofuel and it was made from organic waste.

Global bunker supplier Fratelli Cosulich took?delivery?of a bunker vessel that can deliver methanol and biofuel blends up to B100 to ships in Singapore. The bunker tanker is an IMO type 2 chemical tanker designed for transporting moderately hazardous chemicals according to International Maritime Organisation (IMO) standards.

Japan's NYK Line and the Singapore-based Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) have set out to?study?how continuous and long-term use of biofuels will impact engine performance and fuel supply systems. During a six-month long project, one of NYK Line's vessels will trial a B24-VLSFO blend of 24% fatty acid methyl ester (FAME)-based biofuel and 76% VLSFO.

Ammonia bunker demand is?projected?to reach 2.3 million mt/year by 2030 and then grow exponentially to reach 62 million mt/year by 2040, classification society DNV forecasts. Demand is then projected to quadruple to a whopping 245 million mt/year by 2050. Blue ammonia could account for nearly 186 million mt/year of the total demand by 2050, while green ammonia demand could reach 59 million mt/year, DNV estimates.

Australian mining company Fortescue has?completed?propulsion and manoeuvrability trials with ammonia as a bunker fuel on one of its vessels in Singapore. Fortescue bunkered one of its vessels with 4.4 mt of liquid ammonia in the Port of Singapore for a 10-day trial. The second trial round followed an initial?seven-day trial?with 3 mt of liquid ammonia.

Swiss engine manufacturer WinGD Ltd. will?supply?ammonia engines that will be installed on a pair of dual-fuel aframax tanker ordered by AET, a subsidiary of Malaysia's MISC. Both of the tankers will be equipped with six-cylinder, 62-bore engines that are expected to be available by 2026. Other ammonia engine sizes will also become available based on market demand, according to WinGD.

By Konica Bhatt

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