On July 14, 2023, Banle Energy International Limited, partnering with ASB Biodiesel and Seven Seas Oil, completed the very first B24 biofuel bunkering operation in Hong Kong.
As Banle Energy notes, Saybolt acted as an international independent inspection and testing service provider to monitor the whole process in order to ensure both quality and quantity. According to the company, Banle Energy is committed to lower emission fuels and has been supplying very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) since 2019.
Pros and Cons of biofuels according to Bill Stamatopoulos’, Global Business Development Director, VeriFuel, presentation during 2023 SAFETY4SEA Limassol Forum.
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.
B24 biofuel bunkering operation in Hong Kong is a significant step forward for our contribution of environmental sustainability and for the shipping industry’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions. This sets the stage for the Hong Kong bunkering industry to use biofuels as a means to play its part for decarbonization.
… said Teck Lim Chia, our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman
