The Orient Overseas Container Line Ltd. (OOCL) from Hong Kong, completed the trial use of a biofuel provided by Chevron. The fueling was carried out on June 24th aboard the container vessel MV Yokohama. The 4,578 TEU vessel was fueled with 1999.3 metric tons of B22 marine biofuel, which was provided by Chevron Singapore.
This marks the first trial of a biofuel bunker by OOCL in its fleet. The biofuel provided by Chevron Singapore was first blended with ISCC-certified Used Cooking Oil Methyl Ester as a 22% compound in the Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (VLSFO). The biofuel blend so created can be used on existing engines without any modifications. The blend is also expected to decrease CO2 exhaust by 15% to 20% based on lifecycle analysis.
For the trial voyage itself, the MV Yokohama was deployed in OOCL’s AAA1 service in Southeast Asia. The vessel started from Singapore, called on several Australian ports, and then returned to Singapore. The trial commenced on June 26th and ended on August 5th, lasting a total of 41 days.
Kenny Ye, the Chief Operating Officer at OOCL stated that biofuels are considered to be the most viable option for meeting the more immediate regulatory requirements while moving forward towards decarbonization. He also stated that the success of the Chevron Biofuel Trial has increased their certainty about the feasibility of using biofuel sustainably on ships.
The opinions expressed herein are the author’s and not necessarily those of News2Sea.