The Argentine government has approved the use of pure biofuels in the shipping sector, Latin American news agency BNamericas reported.
Following a change announced by the federal energy department, biofuels could now be used neat or blended with fossil fuels in river and ocean vessels, the 11 June report said.
“The use of biofuels in maritime vessels is on the rise, as they have the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the maritime sector,” the department said in a resolution.
The update falls under the framework of Argentina’s 2021 biofuels law, No 27,640. Subsequent secondary legislation, resolution No 689 of 2022, had exempted mandatory use of biodiesel blends in the maritime segment and created a registry of biofuel operators and blenders.
Under the updated law, vessel operators could now choose what blend, if any, to use, and the category of “bunker operator” was incorporated, BNamericas wrote.
The shipping industry accounted for around 3% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, according to the report.
