BP and Maersk Tankers successfully complete trial of biofuel blend on ships

No adverse effects to equipment or machinery were observed during or after the trials, BP says

Global shipping accounts for around 3 per cent of global carbon emissions. AFP

BP and Maersk Tankers successfully completed trials using marine fuel blended with biofuel on tankers as efforts grow to tackle the shipping sector's greenhouse gas emissions.

Global shipping accounts for about 3 per cent of global carbon emissions. The sector is considered relatively hard to decarbonise because of a lack of alternatives to marine fuel.

The trials were completed on two refined oil product carriers chartered to BP from Maersk Tankers – Maersk Cirrus and Maersk Navigator, BP said in a statement.

Maersk Tankers is a subsidiary of AP Moeller-Maersk.

Each vessel was supplied with BP Marine B30 biofuel, consisting of 30 per cent fatty acid methyl esters, a biodiesel produced from recycled cooking oils and renewable oil sources, blended with very low sulphur fuel oil.

"No adverse effects to equipment or machinery were observed during or after the trials. No modifications to the engine or infrastructure were required," BP said.