Global agribusiness giant Cargill has said it aims to increase its use of biofuels in a bunkering trial and plans to order methanol-fuelled ships in a bid to cut emissions, Reuters reported a senior executive from the company as saying.
Cargill has been testing the performance of biofuels in its fleet of vessels since the start of the year, according to the report.
The aim of the trial was to increase the use of biofuels to 50,000 tonnes by the middle or end of next year – up from 12,000 tonnes since January – the company’s head of marine fuels Olivier Josse was quoted as saying at the Singapore International Bunkering Conference and Exhibition (SIBCON) 2022 held in Singapore on 5 October.
“We are going to bring some fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) and do some blending in the fourth quarter in Singapore,” he said.
The move to blend FAME in Singapore was to evaluate the demand for biofuels as a bunkering fuel, Josse added.
Cargill was also testing and piloting the use of methanol as a shipping fuel, he said.
“We are in the process of tendering for dual fuel methanol ships which will be delivered in a couple of years.”
With about 90% of world trade transported by sea, global shipping accounts for almost 3% of the world’s CO² emissions.
By 2050, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) aimed to halve the industry’s greenhouse gas emissions from 2008 levels and this target would require rapid development of zero- or low-emission fuels and redesigned ships, the report said.
Last year, Cargill said it had cut almost 1.5M tonnes of gross carbon emissions from its fleet since 2017 and was also planning to introduce its first wind-powered vessel early next year.
