Dutch marine biodiesel wary of regulatory uncertainty

The Dutch government's plan to push back transposition into national law of the revised EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED III) is lending uncertainty to marine biodiesel blending demand in the country.

The Dutch infrastructure and water management ministry (NEa) announced a delay in implementation to January 2026, saying transposition into its domestic renewable fuels tickets market would require more time. Dutch tickets, or HBEs, are tradeable and classed by feedstock type for use by companies that are obligated to pay excise duty or energy tax on fuels.

The country will maintain a reduced multiplier for renewables in shipping fuels of 0.4 to 2025. This is based on use of biofuels produced from RED III Annex IX A feedstocks, which can be double counted and hence return a ticket value of 0.8 times.

Shipping companies told Argus they would have to take stock of the delay's implications, and would reassess their projected demand for marine biodiesel blends in what was the world's largest bunkering hub for alternative marine fuels in 2023. They said there is uncertainty about a specific need for proof of sustainability (PoS) documents to attain a zero-emission factor for use of biofuels, as per the recent inclusion in the EU emissions trading system (ETS).

In the Netherlands, shipping companies that 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 HBEs. Buyers could instead receive a raw material and intermediatory product delivery document, in the form of a sustainability declaration with many of the same relevant details.

Spot prices for marine biodiesel blends in the Netherlands have edged lower in recent sessions. B30 Advanced Fame 0°C CFPP dob Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) — a blend of 30pc biodiesel made from EU RED Annex IX A feedstocks and 70pc very low-sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) — averaged $762.37/t for the week to 28 February, compared with $769.77/t a week prior. This incorporates an Argus-assessed tradeable value for HBE-Gs, which are HBEs generated by the blending of advanced biofuels.

By Hussein Al-Khalisy