Pacific International Lines (PIL) has announced that it is conducting a trial use of marine biofuel on its container vessel Kota Megah.
PIL’s vessel is plying the China Pakistan Service (CPS) route and has called at the Port of Singapore on 10 April for bunkering operations.
The type of biofuel in use is a blend of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) and very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO).
FAME is a renewable alternative fuel produced from recycled oils with similar properties to conventional diesel and it is non-toxic and biodegradable.
The origination and production of the feedstocks used to produce FAME is certified for its sustainability to internationally recognised standards.
In a statement, PIL said that the main aim of the trial is to test the feasibility of using marine biofuel on the engines of the vessel and to obtain first-hand data on the potential carbon and other emissions.
The company is working to assess the technical and commercial viability of using biofuel as a potential drop-in fuel solution to achieve an overall reduction in carbon emissions of its vessels.
“This marine biofuel trial is another important step for us in our journey towards reducing carbon emissions across our fleet,” said Lars Kastrup, Co-President and Executive Director at PIL.
“While we have identified LNG, which reduces carbon emissions by around 20 per cent, as the most immediate and pragmatic transitional fuel option for the ships which we recently ordered, we are also looking at similar practical solutions for our existing ships.”
“We will continue to play our part in exploring and investing in the variety of decarbonisation solutions and technologies.”
“We believe such investments are necessary to support the scaling up of the supply and infrastructure so as to enable the wide-spread adoption of the net zero fuels of the future.”
The announcement follows ONE’s successful third trial of marine biofuel onboard the Singapore-flagged vessel M/V NYK Fuji.
