FOLLOWING successful trials with one of its own vessels earlier this year K Line has begun operating three PCTCs it charters from Norway’s Gram Car Carriers on marine biofuel.
This month the 4200 CEU Gram sisterships Viking Ocean, Viking Diamond and Viking Coral began taking biofuel bunkers in Singapore, an Asian hub for such alternative fuels. The companies say the use of biofuel is a key environmental initiative to reduce emissions across the entire value chain (well-to-exhaust) and an effective way of transitioning to low-carbon marine fuels amid globally tightening environmental regulations.
“We support the green mobility shift. This means that GCC commit to supporting the transition of both vehicles and their logistic chain towards a zero-emission future in close cooperation with leading customers such as K-Line,” Georg A. Whist, GCC CEO said.
Biofuel emits carbon dioxide when it is burned as fuel, but the feedstocks have absorbed carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, so it is regarded as a sustainable fuel under international standards set by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
In April this year K Line conducted its first trial use of marine B100 biofuel, which uses renewable organic resources such as biomass that don’t utilize as foodstuff and feed crop. The B100 was supplied by global energy management company World Fuel Services to the 7539 CEU Apollon Highway at the Belgium port of Zeebrugge on 31 March. After leaving the Europe Emission Control Area, the vessel started using the B100 biofuel and completed the trial on 30 April.
In another tilt at reducing greenhouse gases, at the end of May K Line took delivery of Cape Hayate, a 210,000 DWT dual-fuelled LNG capesize bulker, destined for long-term consecutive voyage charter to JFE Steel Corporation for the shipment of steel-making raw materials. K Line will also install “Seawing”, an automated kite system utilizing wind power, to increase the efforts to reach carbon-free voyages.
In an unrelated matter the takeover of Gram Car Carriers by a subsidiary of Mediterranean Shipping Co was completed early last week. GCC is a leading third-party provider of PCTC tonnage to other operators.
