GS Caltex test operates container ship running on marine biofuel
GS Caltex, a Korean oil refinery firm, has begun testing its new eco-friendly marine biofuel in a container ship departing from Busan on Friday, according The Korea Times.
The HMM Tacoma, a container ship built by Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM), was topped up with the fuel, officially called B30 Bio Marine Fuel, before it departed. Throughout the 6,400 twenty-foot equivalent unit-large ship's course to Singapore, India and South America, the fuel will be tested.
B30 Bio Marine Fuel is a mixture of GS' heavy oil for vessels and Korean bioenergy developer DS Dansuk's used cooking oil-based biodiesel for vessels. GS Caltex last August acquired ISCC EU, a certification by the European Commission for sustainability and emission reductions. The company said it was the first time for a Korean oil company to earn the certification.
Marine biofuel is made with recyclable waste feedstocks and saves more than 65 percent of carbon emissions compared to traditional fossil fuel-based marine fuel. A new type of marine biofuel made with used cooking oil-based biodiesel can reduce carbon emissions by more than 80 percent. It is also cheaper than methanol or ammonia and can be used without additional facilities or vessels.
The International Maritime Organization, at the latest meeting of its Marine Environment Protection Committee last July in London, acknowledged the fuel's carbon neutralization effect.
GS Caltex Executive Vice President Lee Seoung-hoon said the company has created a marine biofuel for the first time in Korea's oil refinery industry. He said that to further reduce carbon emissions globally, the company plans to refuel ships worldwide with the marine biofuel in Korean waters.
On Sept. 5, the company supplied Korean Air with its new sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to test during a flight from Incheon to Los Angeles.
