Ocean Network Express (ONE) has announced the successful completion of a drop-in biofuel trial aboard the MOL Endowment in partnership with shipowner Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL).

Where and when: The pilot project, which was conducted as part of the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation's (GCMD) pilot project to establish a quality, quantity and GHG abatement assurance framework for drop-in biofuels, took place between December in January.

• The MOL Endowment was refuelled with 992 tonnes of biofuel in Singapore on December 21, 2022.
• Consumption commenced on January 7 once the ship departed from Kobe, Japan, and the biofuel was fully consumed by January 26 on the return voyage to Japan from Port Klang, Malaysia.

Biofuel used: A B24 blend of Used Cooking Oil Methyl Ester (UCOME) and Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (VLSFO) supplied by Chevron was used during the trial.

• UCOME is produced from Used Cooking Oil (UCO), which is derived from residue or feedstocks labelled as 100% waste and certified for its sustainability in accordance with ISCC standards.
• The biofuel is said to have been supplied in accordance with the standard on specifications of marine biofuel (WA2:2022) established by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).
• No modifications to the marine engines or fuel infrastructure were required, which ONE says demonstrates marine biofuel products can be considered drop-in fuels for reducing carbon emissions from ships.

Bunker tracer: The biofuel and its blends were dosed with a physical tracer and subjected to multiple samplings across the supply chain for laboratory analysis.

• The resultant data is to be used by GCMD as inputs to develop the assurance framework.

Document digitization: The biofuel transaction between ONE and Chevron was performed digitally through the Singapore Trade Data Exchange (SGTraDex) — a digital utility that facilitates the sharing of data between supply chain ecosystem partners through a common data highway to enable the secure exchange of information.

• Those documents included the Certificate of Quality, Bunkering Sales Confirmation, Bunker Delivery Note and Bunkering Sales (Delivery) Invoice.
• Supporting documents, such as Mass Flow Meter (MFM) receipts, MFM seals checklist, meter recording form and International Sustainability and Carbon (ISCC) Certification, were also created digitally.

What they said: Jeremy Nixon, ONE CEO, commented: "It is encouraging to see the various partners at different points of the supply chain come together in this biofuel trial for the common goal of a better, more sustainable future...This 4th biofuel trial marks a step forward in our goal to achieve net-zero by 2050."