LNG and liquefied biomethane (LBM) supplier Titan Clean Fuels and environmental commodity trader STX Group have successfully concluded a ship-to-ship bunkering of 2,200t of LBM to a Hapag-Lloyd container vessel in the port of Rotterdam.
This transaction marks Hapag-Lloyd’s entry into using LBM as sustainable shipping fuel, and represents the largest ship-to-ship bunkering operation known to date. STX Group and Titan Clean Fuels collaborated to liquify, store and deliver mass-balanced biomethane in Zeebrugge in Belgium under ISSC certification, fully recognised under the EU Renewable Energy Directive known as RED II.
Jan Christensen, Senior Director Fuel Purchasing, Hapag-Lloyd said: “This pioneering deal demonstrates that bunkering large quantities of liquefied biomethane is possible and scalable. However, there is still more progress required regarding the necessary infrastructure and the regulatory framework. For us, bunkering liquefied biomethane is another measure in our step-by-step approach to further decarbonise our operations to reach our goal of becoming net-zero by 2045.”
Caspar Gooren, Director of Renewable Fuels, Titan Clean Fuels added: “Titan’s Alice Cosulich bunker vessel has successfully delivered LBM to Hapag-Lloyd’s Brussels Express container ship. We’d like to thank all the partners involved for another smooth operation. We have been encouraged by the demand for LBM so far, and this major bunkering represents a significant step in shipping’s clean fuels transition. Titan recognises the LNG pathway via LBM and renewable e-methane as a practical, sustainable and cost-effective route to net-zero shipping emissions available today. We work every day towards full regulatory compliance for shipowners and operators of deep sea ships.”
Sead Keric, Managing Partner Renewable Gas, STX Group said: “We congratulate Hapag-Lloyd on this landmark deal in the shipping sector. This transaction is a proof of how liquefied biomethane can be a powerful tool on the path to a lower carbon transport sector. At STX Group, we are proud to consistently be at the forefront of environmental markets and this is yet another example of how we are building long-term value through high-impact use cases.”
LBM, also known as bio-LNG, is an established sustainable bunker fuel that can be net-zero emissions depending on the feedstock and is commercially available in Europe, Asia and North America. Biomethane is produced from sustainable biomass feedstocks such as industrial and agricultural waste streams that do not compete with food production. These are nationally or regionally defined, for example by the EU (RED II) in Europe and the EPA (Renewable Fuel Standards) in the USA.
LBM can be delivered in the form of physical molecules or ‘mass balanced’ whereby biomethane is injected into the gas network and transported to liquefaction plants and LNG terminals using the existing infrastructure through a system of mass balancing. Mass balancing is expected to be a feature on many alternative fuel pathways and is believed to offer a practical way of delivering the volumes of clean marine fuel the shipping industry requires.
Image: Titan’s ‘Alice Cosulich’ bunker vessel delivering LBM to Hapag-Lloyd’s ‘Brussels Express’ container ship (source: Titan Clean Fuels / Blue Comms)
