The UAE's port of Fujairah has received its first biofuel bunker cargoes.
Marine fuels provider KPI OceanConnect, a subsidiary of Denmark-based Bunker Holding, said it delivered a 200t clip of B24 bunker fuel to the bulk carrier GCL Tapi on 8 December followed by a same-sized cargo to the GCL Sabarmati on 13 December.
B24 is typically a blend of 24pc fatty acid methyl ester (Fame) with the rest consisting of 0.5pc sulphur marine fuel.
"We expect to see demand for low-carbon energy solutions increase as regulations to restrict greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions come into force, and consumer pressure for sustainable shipping increases," the company's head of alternative fuels and carbon markets Jesper Sorensen said.
Market sources said that trading firm Vitol's bunkering arm was the supplier of the B24, but this could not be confirmed. "At the moment, only Vitol is able to supply B24 in Fujairah," a bunker supplier said.
Fujairah, the world's fourth-largest bunkering hub, has been lagging Singapore and Europe in the transition to alternative marine fuels. The maritime industry has been looking at B24 blends as one of the main ways to meet decarbonisation targets set by the International Maritime Organisation earlier this year.
