Mining major BHP and the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) have launched a pilot project to test lower-emission marine fuels on a BHP-chartered bulk carrier using a biodiesel blend made from used cooking oil (UCO) and waste animal fats.
The trial aims to evaluate how biofuels produced from multiple feedstocks can be blended, handled and deployed under commercial operating conditions while using existing UCO bunkering infrastructure, Oils & Fats International reported.
According to the companies, the pilot will also generate insights into fuel quality, traceability, onboard handling and vessel performance to support wider adoption of alternative marine fuels.
The biofuel blend is being tested aboard the bulk carrier Berge Lyngor, owned and operated by Berge Bulk, which is transporting BHP iron ore from Western Australia to China.
The vessel was bunkered in Singapore in early May with a B100 fuel blend comprising 50 per cent tallow-derived biodiesel supplied by HAMR Energy and 50 per cent used cooking oil methyl ester (UCOME) supplied and blended by Mitsui & Co Energy Trading Singapore (METS).
The companies said operating the vessel on the blend could reduce well-to-wake greenhouse gas emissions by around 79 per cent per voyage compared with conventional very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO).
BHP said the initiative reflects its continued efforts to explore practical pathways for reducing emissions in maritime transport.
Emma Roberts, Vice President – Maritime & Supply Chain Excellence at BHP, said the company intends to continue testing alternative fuels to encourage supply growth and support future investment across the sector.
She noted that with fuel security becoming increasingly important for global trade, expanding opportunities for biofuels will be critical and added that biodiesel, alongside LNG and ammonia, is expected to play an important role in the future marine fuel mix.
The companies said that while current shipping biofuel supply depends heavily on used cooking oil, future availability may become constrained. In this context, biofuels derived from waste animal fats could provide an additional source of lower-emission marine fuel.
The project has received co-funding support from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore under the Maritime Innovation and Technology Fund (MINT).
BHP operates across more than 90 locations globally and produces commodities including iron ore, metallurgical coal and copper. Singapore-based GCMD is a non-profit organisation focused on accelerating maritime decarbonisation through pilot projects and technology trials.
