United European Car Carriers (UECC) and Titan Clean Fuels (Titan) are collaborating on a series of major liquefied biomethane (LBM) bunkering operations in the Port of Zeebrugge. Titan will bunker ISCC-EU certified mass balanced LBM, also known as bio-LNG, to all of UECC’s LNG dual fuel car carriers this month, according to UECC's release.
These pure car and truck carriers (PCTCs) will use 100% LBM as part of UECC’s ‘Green Gas Month’, an initiative that supports its wider ‘Sail for Change’ sustainability programme. Three of the ships also feature battery hybrid technology, further enhancing their environmental performance.
Due to the biomethane waste feedstock, the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction potential from this clean fuel use is significant. In ‘Green Gas Month’ alone, UECC calculates the Well-to-Wake emissions reductions will exceed 8,000 metric tonnes of CO2e.
The GHG emissions reductions generated from these major LBM bunkering operations will be available to UECC customers through a CO2 registry that it opened in January 2024. This registry allows UECC to transfer the environmental benefits of clean fuel use to charterers in a transparent, traceable and independently verified manner across its entire supply chain.
Another large and successful LBM transaction demonstrates that the LNG pathway to net-zero GHG emissions in shipping is unfolding as investors and supporters expected. With LNG, this pathway has a safe and cleaner starting point with mature infrastructure.
Unlike other fuel pathways, LBM is frequently being introduced at scale. Depending on the feedstock, LBM can be net-zero GHG emissions or even net-negative if the avoided emissions of waste are taken into account. The next phase is the introduction of e-methane produced using renewable electricity and electrolysis. All of these molecules can be blended at any ratio and used in existing LNG infrastructure without adaptation.
This clean fuel supply agreement and milestone on the LNG pathway is timely as activation of the European Union’s FuelEU Maritime regulation is imminent. The regulation, which will especially incentivise the use of renewable fuels of non-biological origin such as e-methane, will come into force on January 1st, 2025. It will be applicable to vessels over 5000 GT, 100% of emissions will be considered within the EU and 50% of them if one port in the voyage is outside the EU.