CIMAC Publishes ISO8217:2024 Biofuel Bunker Guidance

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Monday June 17, 2024

CIMAC has published the second of its five guidelines on the new ISO 8217:2024 specifications for marine fuels, this time focusing on biofuels.

ISO 8217:2024 - Marine-fuels containing FAME: A guideline for shipowners & operators is available for free by clicking here.

As previously reported, the new ISO 8217:2024 specification was published at the end of May and one of the more notable changes compared to the previous 2017 version is the inclusion of five 'RF' biofuel grades covering unrestricted FAME content.

The inclusion of biofuels in the ISO specification follows a period of rapidly growing interest in the alternative fuel as vessel owners and operators seek ways to reduce their emissions footprint.

"One of the most readily available ways to decarbonise shipping is the use of biomass derived fuels. The current amount of available biofuel is not sufficient to reach the targets set. It is however a first step and additional technical innovation, and investment will increase the uptake of this decarbonisation pathway," explained CIMAC.

"The development of biofuels is therefore ongoing, and more differentiation is expected in the biomass used, processing and resulting qualities. ISO has published a new version of the ISO 8217 Specifications of marine fuels standard and to support this transition it now allows the use of FAME up to a concentration of 100% in specific grades."

CIMAC's latest guidance focuses on Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAME) and blends with fossil fuel.

It follows the publication of CIMAC's first guide on ISO 8217:2024, ISO 8217:2024 – FAQ, that was released earlier in June.

CIMAC also plans to publish three further guides: Overview and interpretation of total sediment test results in the context of ISO 8217:2024; The interpretation of marine fuel analysis test results; and Design and operation of fuel cleaning systems for diesel engines