HMM announced today that it will launch the first eco-friendly “Bio Marine Fuel” pilot operation in South Korea with GS Caltex, reports Yonhap News Agency.
“Bio Marine Fuel” pilot operation
HMM’s 6,400 TEU container ship, “HMM TACOMA,” started operating on the same day after refueling with Bio Marine Fuel produced and supplied by GS Caltex at Pier 4 of Busan New Port.
Bio Marine Fuel is a fuel produced by mixing waste-based biodiesel and marine oil (bunker fuel oil) in a ratio of 3:7, which can be used without modifying existing ship engines, and is attracting attention as a major means to achieve the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) greenhouse gas reduction plan.
HMM estimates that the use of Bio Marine Fuel will result in a GHG reduction of approximately 24% and plans to gradually increase its use to approximately 5-10% of total fuel per year. In particular, Bio Marine Fuel is somewhat more expensive than conventional marine oil, but HMM plans to spare no effort to preemptively introduce eco-friendly fuels and continuously reduce carbon.
In addition, the company plans to actively respond to the gradually strengthening greenhouse gas regulations and provide green services to meet the eco-friendly transportation needs of shippers.
“HMM TACOMA”, which was supplied with a total of 500 tons of bio marine fuel, will depart from Busan and operate South American routes such as Singapore and Santos, securing relevant data. The data will then be provided to Korean government agencies to contribute to the government’s marine biofuel development project.
Meanwhile, on April 26, HMM and GS Caltex signed a business agreement to jointly promote the eco-friendly Bio Marine Fuel business. HMM will cooperate with the maritime demonstration of bio marine fuel and secure demand, while GS Caltex will cooperate with the stable supply of bio marine fuel.
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Source: Yonhap News Agency
