A bulk carrier fueled with cooking oil and animal fat will set sail for Port Hedland under a trial backed by BHP and the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation.
A bulk carrier fueled with cooking oil and animal fat will set sail for Port Hedland under a trial backed by BHP and the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation.
Berge Bulk’s capesize carrier, Berge Lyngor, will sail from China to Port Hedland, powered by a mix of tallow and used cooking oil supplied by HAMR Energy and Mitsui & Co.
The trial will test the viability of blending biofuels from multiple feedstocks in maritime shipping, which is a significant source of emissions in the Pilbara.
It is the second time BHP has dipped its toes into the biofuel space, having first trialed a cooking oil-based fuel in January last year with Berge Bulk.
BHP maritime and supply chain excellence vice president Emma Roberts said biofuel, LNG and ammonia had roles to play in decarbonising shipping.
“This initiative reflects the shared commitment of BHP and GCMD in the maritime value chain to unlock scalable, credible lower-emissions fuel pathways, as well as the importance of mobilising the industry to deliver decarbonisation solutions,” she said.
“As the world’s largest bulk charterer, we want to continue to test and trial alternative fuels that will help increase supply and send industry demand signals for further investment.
“At a time when fuel security is vitally important to global trade, building opportunities for future biofuels is critical.”
Berge Bulk chief executive James Marshall said the shipping company had saved 13,000 tonnes of carbon emissions in the past year by using biofuel.
“It is an important element of our decarbonisation plan alongside efficiency, technology, and carbon capture,” he said.
The project is co-funded by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.
Uptake of biofuels has been hamstrung by a lack of supply, particularly in WA where it largely remains a cottage industry.
A large quantity of the state’s canola, for example, is shipped to Europe for processing into biofuels.
Biofuel can reduce emissions by as much as 90 per cent, depending on where it is sourced from.
This pilot is expected to reduce emissions by 79 per cent.
The trial comes as industry closes in on a major milestone in efforts to reduce emissions on the Pilbara-to-Asia shipping route.
Fortescue is expected to this year be the first Pilbara miner to have a chartered vessel from CMB.TECH IV refueled with ammonia in Port Hedland under Pilbara Ports’ clean fuel bunkering hub initiative.
Mitsui OSK Lines also expects to sail its first of three ammonia-capable vessels on the route this year.
BHP has ordered two ammonia-capable vessels from COSCO Shipping Bulk due to arrive in 2028.
Rio Tinto last year trialed blending renewable fuel with its diesel for use in its terrestrial iron ore operations.
The Anglo-Australian miner is trialing growth of a Pongamia crop in Queensland as a biofuel feedstock.
- The journalist is a BHP shareholder.
