Furetank, a Swedish tanker shipping company, completed its first bunkering of 200 tonnes of International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) certified bio-LNG for its 18,000-deadweight ton (dwt) chemical and oil carrier, Fure Viken, built in 2024, at anchorage outside Mongstad, Norway, on February 25, according to Furetank's release.
The operation, conducted in collaboration with environmental commodity trader STX Group and supplier Molgas, aligns with the EU’s FuelEU Maritime Regulation, requiring a 2% reduction in greenhouse gas intensity of vessel fuel by 2025.
Fure Viken, part of Furetank’s V-Series, received the bio-LNG bunker delivery to comply with the regulation, enhancing its environmental performance.
“This transaction marks a milestone in our transition to clean fuels, while also supporting European agriculture and biogas production. Furetank has worked for several years with fuel suppliers and ports to realize larger-scale liquefied biogas deliveries on several European destinations. This is a very positive development,” said Björn Stignor, CEO of Furetank.
Gunnar Helmen, Director Marine at Molgas Nordics, stated, “We see a growing demand and interest in bio-LNG, as it is one of the few renewable fuel solutions currently available in shipping. For this operation, we collaborated to prove a mass-balanced biomethane delivery and certify the entire supply chain. We hope that public policy will further support renewable fuels, as we at Molgas are ready to provide it to our maritime customers.”
Sead Keric, Managing Partner of Renewable Gas at STX Group, added, “Bio-LNG is an efficient answer to FuelEU Maritime: a market-based regulation which rewards those who blend in biofuels and penalizes those who don’t. Together with the EU ETS, it builds a business case for renewable fuels. This transaction is proof of how bio-LNG can be a powerful tool when lowering emissions from the transport sector.”
Fure Viken, built at Avic Dingheng Shipyard in China, achieves a 55% reduction in CO2, 86% less NOx, 99% less SOx, and 99% less particulate matter compared to conventional vessels, per a 2017 Swedish Environmental Research Institute study, with bio-LNG potentially eliminating CO2 emissions entirely. The vessel, part of Furetank’s 18,000 dwt V-Series, operates in the Gothia Tanker Alliance with Alvtank and Thun Tankers, targeting North European petroleum and chemical trades, handling 2.1 million tonnes annually in 2024, up 8.5% from 2023.
Furetank is a Swedish tanker shipping company, headquartered in Göteborg, part of the Gothia Tanker Alliance, operating 18,000 dwt dual-fuel chemical and oil carriers.
STX Group is a Swiss environmental commodity trading company, headquartered in Zug, specializing in renewable energy solutions.
Molgas is a Spanish LNG and bio-LNG supplier, part of the Naturgy Group, headquartered in Barcelona, providing maritime fuel solutions and expanding bio-LNG delivery in Europe and Norway.
Shell is a British-Dutch multinational energy company, headquartered in London and The Hague.