Türkiye-based fuel supplier Arkas Bunker has completed two biofuel bunkering operations in Istanbul, marking the company’s next step in pushing forward its sustainability-focused operations.
As disclosed, Arkas Bunker supplied 685 tons in total of Bio24F biofuel, a blend of ISCC-certified 24% used cooking oil methyl ester (UCOME) with 76% very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO).
The biofuel was provided for one vessel owned by Brazil’s CITROSUCO and for one ship owned by the Turkish company DİTAŞ (Deniz Isletmeciligi ve Tankerciligi A.S.), a subsidiary of KOÇ Holding.
According to representatives from Arkas Bunker, the first bunkering operation was wrapped up on July 26. It involved supplying 500 tons of the Bio24F biofuel to CITROSUCO’s Liberia-flagged fruit juice tanker Carlos Fischer. The operation was performed by the Ulucak barge.
The second bunkering reportedly took place on August 7, encompassing the provision of 185 tons of Bio24F to DİTAŞ’s scrubber-fitted T.Adalyn. The vessel that provided the biofuel was the Alsancak 2 barge.
Izmir-headquartered Arkas Bunker is said to be the first in Türkiye to obtain the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC EU) for marine fuels. As Offshore Energy previously reported, the company started to use biofuel for the first time in the Turkish maritime sector in October last year.
Arkas Bunker had provided Bio24F fuel to a container vessel named Matilde A, which is owned by Arkas Line. At the time, Arkas Line CEO, Can Atalay , commented that, following conducted experiments, the company could be ‘sure’ that biofuel bunkering services could be provided for its ships while, simultaneously, reducing carbon emissions “without any change in the ship’s fuel system.”
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With the rising demand for renewable fuel and energy sources, the Turkish biofuel market has experienced considerable growth. As understood, in 2024, the country’s solid biofuel market experienced an increase of 30%, reaching $51 million.
On a wider, global scale, per industry sources, the overall biofuel market is expected to skyrocket, reaching an estimated worth of $225.9 billion by 2028.
However, despite the potentially ‘encouraging’ numbers, Norway’s energy research and business intelligence company Rystad Energy recently highlighted that various blends of biofuels (including bio-LNG) are still restricted in both allocation and production, meaning that more investment and technical development within this sphere is ‘essential’ so that this alternative fuel source can also lead toward net zero.
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