West Coast Clean Fuels LLC contracts to deliver low-carbon fuels to first-of-kind ship operations in California, says a press release published on their website.
Delivery Service Agreements
West Coast Clean Fuels LLC (WCCF) announced today that it has executed Delivery Service Agreements to develop, permit, manage and operate the end-to-end clean fuel supply chains for two first-of-their-kind, decarbonized maritime ship operations––one ocean-going and one in port––in two major California ports.
WCCF was established to serve a growing market need for the delivery of future low-carbon maritime fuels, such as LNG (liquefied natural gas), RNG (renewable natural gas), biofuels, electrofuels, and hydrogen-based fuels (such as hydrogen, methanol and ammonia).
Hydrogen delivery
Starting in Q1 2022, WCCF will deliver hydrogen to the first fuel cell-powered ferry in the US (owned by SWITCH Maritime), first for shipyard sea trials in Bellingham, WA and subsequently for passenger operations in San Francisco Bay.
In the same quarter, WCCF will also launch fuel delivery operations for two new-build LNG-powered container ships (operated by Pasha Hawaii Holdings) in the Port of Long Beach. In order to successfully launch these fueling operations, WCCF began permitting processes in 2019, started to invest in fuel delivery equipment, and solidified commercial relationships with key industry partners up and down the value chain.
Investments for infrastructure
“Critical supply chains for low- and zero-carbon maritime fuels simply don’t exist yet,” said Pace Ralli, CEO of SWITCH Maritime.
“A lot of new infrastructure investment, both public and private, will be needed to make displacement of carbon-emitting fuels a reality. And that investment needs to start now if we’re going to be ready for the oncoming energy transition.”
WCCF has designed the initial supply chains based on smaller delivery volumes for the first vessels under contract, with the ability to scale using larger or different equipment as demand for clean fuel in West Coast ports increases. For example, in addition to truck-to-ship transport of fuels, WCCF aims to serve more fueling volumes from additional customers that will justify investment into marine-based delivery utilizing more efficient and traditional ship-to-ship fuel transfer methods.
Hydrogen fueling solution
WCCF is working closely with SWITCH Maritime to develop a hydrogen fueling solution for Sea Change, a 70-foot, 75-passenger ferry that will operate in San Francisco Bay. The vessel will be the first hydrogen fuel cell vessel in the U.S., representing a monumental step in the U.S. maritime industry’s transition to a sustainable future.
Working with upstream partners, WCCF will deliver approximately 50,000 kgs of green hydrogen annually to the Sea Change, and eliminate the need for diesel completely. San Francisco is expected to be a growing market for maritime passenger transport, and one that will support the increasing adoption of zero-emissions technologies into the growing fleet.
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Source: WestCoastCleanFuels
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