The Indian Ship Registry has issued new Merchant Shipping Notice including requirement for the use of bio-fuel and its blends onboard, highlighting that for any bio-fuel used, its specification is required to be compatible with the machinery and equipment, and compliant with the applicable statutory requirements.
Firstly, a biofuel is a fuel oil which is derived from biomass and hence includes, but is not limited to, processed used cooking oils, fatty-acid-methyl-esters (FAME) or fatty-acid-ethylesters (FAEE), straight vegetable oils (SVO), hydro-treated vegetable oils (HVO), glycerol or other biomass to liquid (BTL) type products.
As with conventional fuel oils, the biofuel specification remains a commercial agreement between
purchaser and supplier. The specification is required to be compatible and free of deleterious materials.
Key Requirements
- The biofuel must meet a declared standard and that the technical and operational parameters of the biofuel or biofuel blend as supplied comply with the ISO 8217 Petroleum products – Fuels (class F) – Specifications of marine fuels standard as far as possible, and that the deviations are known, understood and part of the agreed specification between the purchaser and supplier.
- For FAME biofuels and biofuel blends it is recommended that the FAME feedstock is compliant with the EN 14214 Liquid petroleum products – Fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) for use in diesel engines and heating applications – Requirements and test methods or ASTM D6751 Standard Specification for Biodiesel Fuel Blend Stock (B100) for Middle Distillate Fuels standards. If or when FAME is introduced in a new version of ISO 8217, the new version of the standard is to be followed.
- For HVO biofuels and biofuel blends it is recommended that the fuel is compliant with the EN 15940 Automotive fuels – Paraffinic diesel from synthesis or hydro-treatment – Requirements and test methods standard.
- Any other biofuel, i.e. other than FAME or HVO, supplied as 100 per cent or as a blend component should meet a recognised standard, as far as possible, and should be agreed for inclusion prior to supply. It is important to know which kind of biofuel is offered and supplied. If this is not clear the supplier should be asked.
Fuel properties critical to safe operation and long-term reliability, such as lubricity, cold flow properties, acid number and oxidation stability, etc. should be within the limits recommended by the equipment OEMs, as applicable
According to the Notice, no biofuels shall be supplied to ships in unblended or blended form without having been certified by an international certification scheme, meeting its sustainability criteria. The Sustainability Schemes are International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) and Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) and equivalent.
A Proof of Sustainability or similar documentation mentioned above should be provided along with the Bunker Delivery Note, to facilitate the verification of the reported biofuel consumption.
