The Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the Port of Rotterdam Authority jointly conducted a pilot for the bunkering of mass-balanced liquefied bio-methane (LBM) in Rotterdam.

PHOTO: Oil storage tanks in the oil and bunkering hub of Rotterdam, Netherlands. Getty Images

The pilot was conducted on 19 October under the Rotterdam-Singapore Green and Digital Shipping Corridor (GDSC) initiative.

A total of 100 mt of mass-balanced LBM was supplied by oil major Shell to French shipping giant CMA CGM’s LNG-powered container ship CMA CGM TIVOLI.

The fuel used in the pilot was produced from waste-based feedstock.

As part of the pilot, Shell issued a Proof of Sustainability (PoS) certificate verifying that the fuel supplied complies with regulations mandated by the European Union, the MPA said. “The certificate will undergo auditing by third-parties accredited by International Sustainability and Carbon Certification-European Union (ISCC-EU),” the port authority explained.

The mass balance methodology allows bio-methane to be blended with conventional LNG in the existing supply chain while still tracking and attributing its sustainability benefits. This avoids the need for separate storage and transport systems, making it more feasible to introduce low-emission fuels.

A similar bunkering pilot will take place at the Port of Singapore as well, the MPA said.

By Aparupa Mazumder

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