EMEA News
Furetank Turns to Biomethane for EU Fleet Decarbonisation
Swedish shipping firm Furetank announced it will be running its EU fleet on mass-balanced biomethane through 2025, moving closer to its long-term goal of fossil-free shipping.
Most of the dual-fuel ships have either bunkered biomethane or are in the process, the firm said in a statement on its website on Friday.
The fuel is produced from agricultural waste by Cargill and liquefied and delivered by Titan Clean Fuels.
Mass balanced means the biomethane doesn't have to go directly into the ship. The vessel may bunker normal LNG, but the same amount of biomethane is added to the grid and counted towards its fuel use.
"With the FuelEU Maritime regulation, in force since the start of this year, it is now possible to account for mass-balanced biogas – meaning certified biogas can be injected into one end of the European gas grid and withdrawn at the other, just as has long been done with green electricity," the firm explained.
Liquified biomethane or bio-LNG has similar characteristics to fossil LNG and can be bunkered in existing dual-fuel ships without requiring any major modifications.
"Furetank has secured significant volumes, becoming one of the first movers in this market," Willem Olde Kalter, responsible for Biogas and FuelEU at Cargill, said.
"The FuelEU legislation is set to drive meaningful change, and we are only seeing the beginning of LBM in shipping as one of the most accessible compliance solutions for shipping, requiring no engine modifications in LNG-fuelled vessels."
Furetank is also working with ScanOcean to trial hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO100) as a replacement for MGO in ships unable to run fully on biomethane.
