EMEA News
Vitol Supplies Fujairah's First Biofuel Bunker Stems
Global commodity trading firm Vitol supplied the product for Fujairah's first deliveries of biofuel bunker blends earlier this month.
The firm's marine fuels arm, Vitol Bunkers, supplied the B24 blend delivered to two ships at the Middle Eastern hub on December 8 and 14, the company said in an emailed statement on Tuesday.
The VLSFO in the blend came from Vitol's Fujairah refinery, and the biofuel component was sourced from local VTTI storage facilities.
KPI OceanConnect revealed its role in facilitating the trades last week.
"Certified biofuels are expected to play a key role in helping the hard-to-abate maritime sector to decarbonise and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on a well-to-wake basis, can actively reduce a vessel's Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII), and count as a zero CO2 emissions factor once shipping joins the EU's Emissions Trading System (ETS) in 2024," Vitol said in the statement.
"The deliveries coincided with COP28.
"Vitol Bunkers thanks the port of Fujairah and the government of the UAE for their progressive sustainable policies that enabled the delivery to take place."
Demand for biofuel bunker blends is increasing as shipowners take them on as a drop-in replacement for conventional fuels with a lower carbon footprint, allowing them to reduce GHG emissions without investing in new ships capable of running on other alternative fuels.
