China Classification Society (CCS), Weichai Singapore, Marine Energy and Sustainability Research Department of Nanyang Technological University (MESD), and Pinnacle Marine have signed a research cooperation agreement to test B100 biofuel for 1,000 hours in Singaporean waters.
The four-party agreement for this joint project was signed on October 10, 2024.
According to CCS, it marks Singapore’s first long-term ship trial with B100 biodiesel, aiming to push the shipping industry towards net-zero emissions and offer vital insights into emissions, performance, and onboard storage.
Biofuels are seen as a convenient way for shipping companies to reduce their carbon emissions due to their ability to be used as a ‘drop-in fuel’.
Singapore reported significant progress in bunker sales of biofuel blends which increased to 520,000 tonnes in 2023 from 140,000 tonnes in 2022, representing a threefold increase.
To remind, the first marine biofuel trial involving an ocean-going vessel in Singapore was carried out in April 2021.
Come 2024, Vitol Bunkers, a wholly-owned bunker arm of energy and commodities company Vitol, took delivery of its first specialized biofuel bunker barge, Marine Future , in Singapore, enabling the supply of biofuel blends including B24, B30, and up to B100.
The first ever B100 biofuel bunkering in Singapore was conducted by Danish shipping company Norden in May 2024.
In August 2024, TotalEnergies Marine Fuels, a bunkering unit of French energy giant TotalEnergies, also supplied its first B100 biofuel bunker in Singapore .