The Rotterdam-Singapore Green and Digital Shipping Corridor (GDSC) partners have conducted a successful pilot for the bunkering of mass-balanced liquefied bio-methane (LBM) at the Port of Rotterdam.
Shell supplied 100 tonnes of mass-balanced LBM to CMA CGM’s liquefied natural gas-powered containership CMA CGM TIVOLI.
As part of the pilot, Shell issued a Proof of Sustainability certificate verifying that the LBM fuel supplied complies with regulations by the European Union.
The certificate will undergo auditing by third parties accredited by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification-European Union (ISCC-EU).
The pilot applied the mass balance methodology to track the movement of the LBM through the supply chain and ensure compliance with ISCC-EU certification standards, Renewable Energy Directive II, and FuelEU Maritime regulations.
This certification and tracking process supports the development of methodologies that align with the accounting framework established by countries under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
This testing will allow CMA CGM to ensure that mass-balanced LBM is correctly recognised by the authorities in relation to the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) regulations.
A similar LBM bunkering pilot with full sustainability certification is planned at the Port of Singapore.
Produced from waste-based feedstock, the LBM used in this pilot provides a lower-emission alternative to conventional marine fuels.
This initiative, led by the bio-methane working group, supports the GDSC’s aim of advancing the adoption of near-zero emission fuels along one of the world’s busiest shipping trade routes.
The bio-methane working group, led by SEA-LNG, is one of the working groups established to encourage the uptake of zero- and near-zero emission fuels. Other working groups are also exploring pathways for alternative fuels such as methanol, ammonia and hydrogen.
Last month, the Port of Rotterdam Authority and Swietelsky Rail Benelux B.V. signed a contract to build a bundle of six tracks sufficient for 740-metre trains as part of the new Maasvlakte-Zuid rail yard.
