Overview

The marine fuel sector is decarbonising. International Maritime Organization (IMO) requirements and EU legislation is driving this change alongside consumer demand for low carbon solutions. 

These drivers have prompted shipowners to invest in alternative marine fuels including; marine biodiesel, bio-methanol, grey methanol, LNG, ammonia and hydrogen.

Argus provides pricing, insights, and intelligence for the fast-growing alternative marine fuels market with independent news, analysis, and market commentary on emerging changes and trends so you can stay ahead.

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Latest alternative marine fuels news

Latest alternative marine fuels news
18/12/24

ISCC sets shipping, aviation green fuels PoC framework

ISCC sets shipping, aviation green fuels PoC framework

London, 18 December (Argus) — The International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) has issued a framework to provide 'Proof of Compliance' (PoC) for the use of low emission fuels in the aviation and maritime sectors. The PoC is intended to address challenges arising from the unavailability of Proof of Sustainability (PoS) documentation for downstream operators, such as airlines and shipowners. These downstream operators are typically the obligated party in showcasing compliance with EU regulations such as the EU emissions trading system ETS and FuelEU Maritime . A major biofuel supplier expects that the framework could be used as soon as next month. ISCC said that the PoC was developed in alignment with regulatory requirements and will serve to supplement the ISCC EU scheme. The ISCC has also published a guidance document, template, and audit procedures for PoC documents. According to the guidance document, the issuance of a PoC document for a batch of certified fuel is only possible if the underlying PoS document has been surrendered to relevant competent authorities, and that a claim for the same batch of fuel further downstream is not prohibited by the relevant competent authorities. The PoC document must also include a reference to the original underlying PoS to allow for cross-referencing, as well as information on which scheme the fuel has already been counted under in which the PoS was surrendered. ISCC added that the PoC document can in principle also be used for claims in voluntary markets but recommended that involved parties examine the implications of claiming the same fuel volumes towards voluntary targets. This comes after market participants reported regulatory uncertainty regarding the use of some marine biodiesel blends throughout the year. In the Netherlands, shipping companies which purchase marine biodiesel blends including fatty acid methyl esther (Fame) might not receive PoS for RED-certified biofuel, as suppliers further up the chain would probably have already submitted these to redeem the corresponding class of Dutch renewable tickets (HBEs). Buyers could instead receive a raw material and intermediary product delivery document, in the form of a sustainability declaration with many of the same relevant details. By Hussein Al-Khalisy Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Latest alternative marine fuels news

Viewpoint: Asia bio-bunkers to gain from EU regulations


16/12/24
Latest alternative marine fuels news
16/12/24

Viewpoint: Asia bio-bunkers to gain from EU regulations

London, 16 December (Argus) — New regulations in Europe should support Asian demand for marine biodiesel in 2025. The scope of emissions covered under the EU's Emissions Trading System (ETS) will rise to 70pc next year from 40pc this year, and this will be accompanied by the introduction of the FuelEU Maritime regulations at the turn of the year. FuelEU Maritime requires a reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity of fuels by 2pc in 2025 and up to 80pc by 2050, against a 2020 baseline level of 91.16 grammes of CO2 equivalent (gCO2e) per MJ. These upcoming regulatory changes in Europe should support buying interest for marine biodiesel blends because biofuels compliant with the EU's Renewable Energy Directive (RED) will have a zero CO2 emissions factor under the ETS next year. And waste-based biodiesel produced from feedstocks such as used cooking oil (UCO), which typically provide higher GHG emissions against fossil comparators under RED than crop-based biofuels, will be a viable alternative for many shipowners looking to reduce the GHG intensity of their conventional vessels. The regulations will not only support demand for marine biodiesel in Europe. They encompasses various flexibility mechanisms, aimed at supporting shipowners in meeting the required reductions, including a system that allows two or more vessels to create a pool in which compliance can be achieved across all vessels within the group as long as the total overall compliance balance of the pool is positive. Vessels operating between Asia and Europe will have half of energy consumed on those voyages subject to FuelEU Maritme regulations. The energy consumed from a marine biodiesel blend bunkered in Singapore, for example, could be mass balanced to be fully accounted for under this scope. Shipowners with vessels operating on the east-west route could therefore look to bunker marine biodiesel in Singapore or other parts of Asia, and then pool that vessel along with other vessels in their fleet that operate solely within Europe to achieve compliance using a non-European bunkered product. This dynamic will be supported by anti-dumping duties (ADD) imposed on Chinese biodiesel imports into Europe. The European Commission announced earlier this year provisional ADD measures on China-origin biodiesel and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), with definitive measures set for mid-February 2025. In anticipation of the provisional duties, exports of Chinese biodiesel to the EU fell by over 50pc to 563,440t in the first half of this year compared with the same period of 2023. At the same time, exports of Chinese biodiesel to Singapore hit a monthly high of 16,500t in August, which was mainly attributed to marine biodiesel blends being bunkered at the port. This pushed Argus price assessments of B24 dob Singapore, a blend comprising used cooking oil methyl ester (Ucome) and very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO), to an average discount of about $90/t against B30 Ucome dob ARA in August-October. The more competitive pricing led to a shift in voluntary demand for marine biodiesel blends away from the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) hub in northwest Europe and towards Singapore. Marine biodiesel blend sales in Singapore hit a monthly high of 116,200t in October, according to data from the local maritime and port authority. The option to bunker marine biodiesel blends in Asia to meet European regulations will not be limited to Singapore. China's Zhoushan Port Authority said it will obtain a domestic blend permit by the end of this year, which will pave the way for suppliers to provide marine biodiesel blends to local and international shipowners. By Hussein Al-Khalisy Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Latest alternative marine fuels news

Norden agrees marine biodiesel deal with Meta


26/11/24
Latest alternative marine fuels news
26/11/24

Norden agrees marine biodiesel deal with Meta

London, 26 November (Argus) — Danish shipping company Norden has agreed with tech giant Meta to utilise marine biodiesel blends on operated vessels. The deal is based on Norden's book-and-claim, a system that can be used to deliver proof of sustainability (PoS) documentation to customers to offset the latter's scope 3 emissions and fulfil their voluntary demand. The PoS can be obtained on a mass-balance system, allowing shipowners flexibility with regards to the port at which a blend can be bunkered. Norden did not specify which marine biodiesel blends it will use as part of this agreement, but said the biofuel will be ISCC-certified and will have an 80-90pc greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction potential. The agreement follows recent drops in Argus assessments for marine biodiesel blends comprising Advanced Fatty acid methyl ester (Fame) 0 in the ARA trading and refining hub. By Hussein Al-Khalisy Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Latest alternative marine fuels news

Bimco develops FuelEU clause for charter parties


26/11/24
Latest alternative marine fuels news
26/11/24

Bimco develops FuelEU clause for charter parties

Sao Paulo, 26 November (Argus) — Danish shipping association Bimco has developed a contractual clause to support time charter parties ahead of FuelEU Maritime regulations that come into force at the beginning of 2025. The clause designates the shipowner to be the party responsible for FuelEU Maritime. Bimco said the clause is intended to be the standard applicable for most scenarios and commercial relationships. Among the recommendations, the clause states it is mandatory for a shipowner to present the vessel's compliance balance for the previous two years and in the current year. The FuelEU maritime regulation will start in 2025 and will require that ships traveling in, out of, and within EU territorial waters gradually reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity on a lifecycle basis. It will start with a 2pc reduction in 2025, 6pc in 2030, and will be 80pc by 2050, all compared with 2020 levels. The regulation applies to all commercial ships above 5,000 gross tonnes (GT) carrying passengers or cargo. "The clause we have adopted today is the result of a collaborative process between owners, charterers, Protection and Indemnity (P&I), legal experts, and other stakeholders," said Bimco's documentary committee chairman Nicholas Fell. Bimco has also already adopted a clause for emission trading allowances under the EU emissions trading system (ETS) for ship management agreements, voyage charter parties, and contracts of affreightment. By Gabriel Tassi Lara and Natália Coelho Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Latest alternative marine fuels news

Star Bulk expects smooth 2025 FuelEU compliance


25/11/24
Latest alternative marine fuels news
25/11/24

Star Bulk expects smooth 2025 FuelEU compliance

New York, 25 November (Argus) — Greek ship owner Star Bulk said it expects to meet the 2025 FuelEU regulation without issue. Starting on 1 January 2025, the FuelEU regulation will require that vessel fleets travelling in EU territorial waters cap their lifecycle greenhouse gases (GHG) at 89.34 grams of CO2-equivalent per megajoule through 2029. The company plans to meet this regulation by burning B30 biofuel blends on some of its vessels. This will GHG credits for its remaining vessels that trade in and out of EU territorial waters. Star Bulk does not expect to have difficulty sourcing the B30, but warned that sourcing it could become a challenge from 2027 onward. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) should update its GHG emissions regulation for international shipping to include lifecycle emissions from the current emissions from combustion around mid-2027. The organization will require that vessels globally reduce their lifecycle GHG by at least 20pc by 2030 and by at least 70pc by 2040, compared with a 2008 baseline, and reach net-zero by 2050. This will require additional quantities of biofuel. Unlike the FuelEU regulation which applies to vessel fleets or pools travelling in EU waters, the IMO regulation will apply to individual vessels travelling in international waters. Star Bulk burned 832,371 of marine fuel in 2023, down 4pc compared with 2022. Of this quantity, 708,406t was high-sulphur fuel oil (HSFO), 36,598t very low-sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) and 87,367t marine gasoil. About 95pc of Star Bulk's vessel fleet is outfitted with marine exhaust scrubbers. The scrubbers allow its vessels to burn HSFO in international waters. Vessels that do not have scrubbers are required by the IMO to burn marine fuel with up to 0.5pc sulphur content maximum, such as VLSFO in international waters. Star Bulk's vessels emitted 2.6mn t of CO2 in 2023, down 4pc from 2022. The company is aiming to reduce its fleet's carbon intensity ratio by 12pc by 2026, from 2019 baseline year, consistent with the IMO's carbon intensity indicator targets. In 2023, Star Bulk achieved 4.32pc reduction relative to 2019. The reduction was largely due to improved vessel performance monitoring, hull cleaning, and optimization of weather and routing, the company said. As of the end of September, Star Bulk owned 155 vessels, chartered 10 vessels and had five newbuild vessels on order to be delivered in 2025 and 2026. In April, the company finalized its merger with Eagle Bulk Shipping . By Stefka Wechsler Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Argus marine fuel database sample extracts alternative fuels

Alternative fuels vessels and supplier list

Argus lists vessels that are burning alternative marine fuels, including methanol, biofuels, ammonia, hydrogen, LNG, LPG, as well as those running on batteries. The database is updated every month.

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Argus marine fuel database sample extracts scrubbers

Scrubbers

Argus’ scrubber database is the only database to provide granular vessels details such as vessel name, owner, IMO number, deadweight, etc.

The database is updated every month. It contains over 4,300 records and counting.

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Explore our related services

With deep expertise in the markets for future marine fuels, Argus can provide detailed insight for the marine industry as it transitions towards decarbonisation. Here are some of our related services: