HMM has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with GS Caltex to secure marine biofuels in order to conduct the trial use of the fuels on its three 24,000 TEU container ships in the second half of this year.
The marine biofuels comprise 30 percent biodiesel derived from used cooking oil and 70 percent high-sulfur fuel oil(HSFO). In 2021, HMM performed the first test voyage using biofuels on its 13,100TEU containership. The vessel HMM Dream, deployed in EC1 (East Coast 1) service connecting Asia and the US East Coast, successfully completed the voyage in the Pacific Ocean.
Pros and Cons according to VeriFuel:
Pros of biofuels:
- Four-year experience with successful trials since 2019
- No CAPEX is required
- Improved CO2 emission factor
- Limited safety risk as it is not toxic (like ammonia) and the flash point is always higher than 100 degrees, so it meets the SOLAS requirement
- Can use the existing bunkering infrastructure
- Mix with fossil fuels a.k.a. “drop in”
Cons of biofuels:
- Availability
- Cost (20-40% over the VLSFO price)
- Energy content is lower, but they have better ignition and combustion properties
- Technical challenges that are easily tackled in terms of long-term storage, microbial growth and corrosion
- Lack of crew training
- Storage and transfer temperatures above the cloud point
- Aviation may also use them so not all of the available biofuel is for shipping.
Based on this MoU, we expect to generate less greenhouse gas emissions and thereby contribute to limiting climate change. We will continue to enhance our environmental competence by accelerating R&D activities
…said Park, Jinki, Senior Executive Vice President of HMM