Hapag-Lloyd in largest yet ship-to-ship bio-LNG bunkering

Titan's Alice Cosulich bunker vessel delivering bio-LNG to Hapag-Lloyd’s Brussels Express containership

Titan Clean Fuels has successfully bunkered the Hapag-Lloyd containership Brussels Express with 2,200 tonnes of bio-LNG. Believed to be the largest yet ship-to-ship bioLNG bunkering, the operation marked Hapag-Lloyd’s entry into using the fuel.

According to the Sea-LNG coalition, the use of bio-LNG as a marine fuel can reduce GHG emissions by up to 80% compared to marine diesel on a full well-to-wake basis. Derived from biomethane produced from sustainable biomass, bio-LNG is also known as liquefied biomethane, or LBM.

The bio-LNG bunkering of the Brussels Express was carried out by Titan Clean Fuels (formerly known as Titan LNG) using its Alice Cosulich bunkering vessel and in cooperation with commodity trader STX Group, with which Titan has collaborated to liquify, store and deliver mass-balanced biomethane in Zeebrugge, Belgium, under ISSC certification recognized under the European Union´s RED II Renewable Energy Directive known as RED II.

“This pioneering deal demonstrates that bunkering large quantities of liquefied biomethane is possible and scalable,” said Jan Christensen, senior director fuel purchasing at Hapag-Lloyd. “However, there is still more progress required regarding the necessary infrastructure and the regulatory framework. For us, bunkering liquefied biomethane is another measure in our step-by-step approach to further decarbonize our operations to reach our goal of becoming net-zero by 2045.”

“Titan’s Alice Cosulich bunker vessel has successfully delivered LBM to Hapag-Lloyd’s Brussels Express container ship. We’d like to thank all the partners involved for another smooth operation. We have been encouraged by the demand for LBM so far, and this major bunkering represents a significant step in shipping’s clean fuels transition. Titan recognizes the LNG pathway via LBM and renewable e-methane as a practical, sustainable and cost-effective route to net-zero shipping emissions available today. We work every day towards full regulatory compliance for shipowners and operators of deep sea ships,” said Caspar Gooren, director of renewable fuels at Titan Clean Fuels.

“We congratulate Hapag-Lloyd on this landmark deal in the shipping sector. This transaction is a proof of how liquefied biomethane can be a powerful tool on the path to a lower carbon transport sector. At STX Group, we are proud to consistently be at the forefront of environmental markets and this is yet another example of how we are building long-term value through high-impact use cases,” said Sead Keric, Managing Partner of Renewable Gas at STX Group.

Bio-LNG is an established sustainable bunker fuel that can even be net-zero emissions depending on the feedstock and is commercially available in Europe, Asia and North America. The sustainable biomass feedstocks from which it is derived are nationally or regionally defined as such, for example by the EU (RED II) in Europe and the EPA (Renewable Fuel Standards) in the USA.

LBM can be delivered in the form of physical molecules or “mass balanced,” an approach in which biomethane is injected into the gas network and transported to liquefaction plants and LNG terminals using the existing infrastructure through a system of mass balancing. Mass balancing is expected to be a feature on many alternative fuel pathways and, according to Titan, offers a practical way of delivering the volumes of clean marine fuel the shipping industry requires.