Credit: John Bakator via Unsplash
Marseille, France, headquartered ocean shipping behemoth CMA CGM has announced it is supporting the production of 12,000 tonnes of biomethane.
That’s equivalent of two 1,400-TEU LNG-powered ships on an intra-European service (between St Petersburg and Rotterdam) for a whole year, the company said in a statement.
CMA CGM customers will be able to select “biomethane” in CMA CGM’s systems which will help reduce customers’ environmental impact when shipping goods.
CMA CGM says that selection of this biomethane, when coupled with the company’s dual-fuel gas-power technology, can reduce well-to-wake greenhouse gas emissions by 67%. On a tank-to-wake basis, the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions can reach 88%.
Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and CEO of the CMA CGM Group, said: “We have crossed a new step with the launch of the first low-carbon shipping offer based on biomethane. We know that there is still a long way to go to meet the commitments of the Paris Agreement. Achieving these goals do not rely on a single solution but on a set of initiatives and new technologies complimentary to each other.”
Creation of biomethane begins with the collection of organic waste and agricultural plant residues from European agricultural lands. This organic waste is heated in a “methanizer” which produces biologically-sourced methane. That gas can then be used as an energy source in a range of applications such as cooking, for household appliances and in public transportation.
Increasing interest in biofuels
Ocean shipping companies have shown interest in biofuels of late. Stolt Tankers is carrying out a trial aboard the 37,000 deadweight tanker Stolt Inspiration. The trial will assess the use of biofuel in engines and boilers and will test the effect on reliability and consumption among other things.
Meanwhile, Ocean Network Express and Mitsui OSK Lines trialled biofuels in the MOL Experience, a 4,800 TEU ship, which undertook a trans-Atlantic crossing. Eastern Pacific’s tanker, Pacific Beryl, also trialled biofuels on a trans-Atlantic crossing.
Other shipping companies, such as Stena Bulk and also UECC, have also carried out biofuel tests.
Shipping Australia will publish a ten-page review of “Future Fuels”, which will include biofuels, in the forthcoming edition of our “Shipping Australia” magazine, due out in June!
