Biofuels Accelerate UECC’s Decarbonization Journey

by Naida Hakirevic Prevljak (Offshore Energy) Norway-based RoRo transportation provider United European Car Carriers (UECC) said it is on track to exceed its goal of a 45% emissions reduction by 2030 after more than doubling biofuel usage across its fleet last year.

The shortsea carrier has made significant strides in decarbonizing its fleet of pure car and truck carriers (PCTCs) with the addition of five LNG-fueled newbuilds and the increased rollout of biofuels in recent years.

UECC boosted the use of ISCC-certified sustainable biofuel B100 on both owned and time-chartered ships to 14,000mt last year, up from 6500mt in 2022. The company achieved a total tank-to-wake emissions reduction of over 60,000 tonnes across its 14-vessel fleet in 2023, of which it is estimated increased biofuel use accounted for 40,000 tonnes, with the remainder coming from LNG.

This was a near-250% increase on the emissions cut of 24,200 tonnes achieved in 2022.

UECC is now looking at sourcing alternative carbon-neutral fuels such as bio-LNG and e-LNG for these vessels to further improve their green performance, according to Gent.

UECC’s adoption of alternative fuels has expanded exponentially since the programme was launched in 2020 with piloting the use of biofuel on its vessel Autosky, bolstered by valuable support from owners of its time-chartered vessels, clients such as BMW, fuel suppliers like GoodFuels, industry partners, and parent companies NYK and Wallenius Lines.

“We are now in the fifth year of running our biofuels programme and it has gone from strength to strength. UECC has sought to take a leading role through early-stage analysis of new biofuels to evaluate their potential in terms of technical suitability, sustainability and commercial viability, both to deliver the best solution for our customers and give the sector a blueprint for assessment and adoption of such fuels based on these three pillars,” Gent explained.

He added that, in terms of sustainability criteria, the company looks for biofuels with the biggest environmental impact, with a typical minimum 90% reduction in GHG intensity from well-to-wake compared with conventional marine fuels.

UECC has steadily expanded the use of green fuels to cover 30% of its fleet in 2023, up from 18% in 2022, and is on track to achieve 50% coverage this year towards the goal of 80% by 2030.

Gent further said that being proactive in trialling new alternative fuels has also promoted engagement with fuel providers, which has led to UECC’s latest initiative together with biofuel supplier ACT Group as part of an industry collaboration to test the Cashew Nut Shell Liquid (CNSL)-based biofuel FS.100 that he believes has “great potential for sustainable shipping”. READ MORE

Excerpt from Offshore Energy: UECC is collaborating with the UK’s maritime advisory organization Lloyd’s Register FOBAS, Finnish engine manufacturer Wartsila, and Dutch biofuel supplier ACT Group to critically assess and evaluate a CNSL-based biofuel.

As part of this partnership, ACT Group created a CNSL-based biofuel known as FSI.100. This was achieved through a rigorous development process, which included extensive engine testing and a meticulously controlled supply chain.

Following thorough testing on various blend combinations, FSI.100 received approval from engine manufacturers as a 30% blend component in an ISO 8217 DMA grade distillate fuel oil to carry out sea trials, representing a significant stride in the progression of sustainable marine fuels.

Additionally, FSI.100 utilizes sustainable land use practices and exhibits high-quality maritime fuel properties, such as ultra-low sulfur and winter spec pour points. It also delivers significant greenhouse gas savings, with well-to-wake emissions reductions of 90% (9.50gCO2eq/MJ) compared to conventional maritime fuels.

An important milestone for the maritime industry was accomplished when the collaboration resulted in the provisional acceptance of CNSL-based FSI.100 as a 30% blend component in a distillate DMA marine fuel oil, cleared by OEM, Class, and flag Administrations, for sea-trial stages. READ MORE