Milestone Bio-LNG Bunkering Signals Path for Future Maritime Fuels

In what is being called a milestone for the emergence of alternative fuels for the maritime sector, the first bunkering of certified bio-LNG was completed off Norway. The emergence of the fuel is a critical step toward meeting the requirements of the FuelEU Maritime regulations and demonstrates a pathway for the industry with alternative fuels.

The bunkering was a partnership between STX Group and Molgas which collaborated to source, liquify, and deliver the certified bio-LNG. It was the first time that Molgas delivered mass balanced bio-LNG bunker to a maritime customer in Norway.

The fuel was delivered to Furetank, a Swedish tanker shipping company that operates 40 vessels in European waters. A total of 200 tonnes of bio-LNG was loaded to the Fure Viken (17,942 dwt) while the vessel was anchored outside Mongstad, Norway. The tanker, which is 492 feet (150 meters) in length was delivered in 2024 as part of a program to modernize Furetank’s fleet. The first of the vessels was introduced in 2018 and the company highlights with the last delivery scheduled for 2027, it will have renewed its entire fleet. The vessels are dual-fuel to use LNG or gasoil, equipped for shore power, and are designed with a battery hybrid solution and several innovative features that reduce fuel and energy consumption.

“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. This new option strengthens the competitiveness of biomethane as part of the green transition,” said Gunnar Helmen, Director Marine at Molgas Nordics.

Bio-LNG is a mass-balanced product where biomethane of certified origins is purchased and injected into the gas grid. A corresponding amount of gas is withdrawn from the grid and liquefied into maritime fuel.

Environmental commodity trader STX Group said it sees this transaction as one of the first signs of a new fuel market being born.

Bio-LNG has been emerging in the past few years as an option for shipping companies. Trade group SEA-LNG reported in a 2023 market analysis that annual production of biomethane, from which bio-LNG is produced, was around 30 million tonnes or around 10 percent of shipping’s total annual energy demand. It is growing in availability at ports including Rotterdam and in Asia and in 2024, Hapag-Lloyd working with Titan Clean Fuels, reported one of the largest bunkering operations to date. Hapag-Lloyd’s Brussels Express loaded 2,200 tonnes of the alternative fuel at the Port of Rotterdam.

The companies called bio-LNG an “efficient answer” to FuelEU Maritime, noting the regulation rewards those who blend in biofuels and penalizes those who do not blend. They also noted that the new regulation makes no distinction between mass-balanced and off-grid produced biomethane. The companies assert that this opens up a new path for shipping in the transition to renewable energy, surpassing some of the hurdles of lack in biomethane supply and delivery infrastructure.

One of the challenges remains the lack of investment to achieve a critical supply level for the maritime industry. The companies note that their goal is for this demonstration to demonstrate the opportunities while they are also calling for public policy to further support the development of the production capabilities for renewable fuels.