It is estimated that sea-going vessels ( that carry 90% of the world’s trade) contribute at least 3% of all global pollution. Knowing this, the maritime transport sector has been working on adopting a more environmentally friendly fuel alternative as against traditional fossil fuel. That alternate is biomethane.
Biomethane, also called liquified biogas (LBG), is a flexible and easily storable fuel that can be used wherever natural gas is used. It is produced from biogas derived from organic matter (often from landfill, food waste, or agricultural waste).
When compared to a conventional petrol-fueled vessel, a biogas-powered ship reduces CO2 emissions by up to 90%. Liquified biogas represents an opportunity for the shipping industry to minimize its greenhouse gas emissions (i.e Carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuel).
Biogas has a superior burning rate to natural gas. While biogas only has one flammable component (methane), natural gas contains ethane, propane, butane, and even hydrogen. These other chemicals burn under different conditions (temperature, pressure), making it more difficult to burn the fuel efficiently. As the significance of Liquefied biogas (LBG) grows, so does its potential for use in maritime shipping and transportation.
Countries in the Baltic Sea Region have launched “project biogas” to investigate the feasibility of using liquified biomethane in the maritime sector and other modes of transportation by developing plans to build an LBG infrastructure ( ports, fuel stations, vehicles, etc).
Shipping lines such as CMA CGM Group and A.P Moller-Maersk are committed to the energy transition and have set a goal of becoming Net Zero Carbon by 2050.
CMA CGM has ordered seven new ships powered by biogas, a technology that helps to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions while also protecting air quality by eliminating almost all air pollutants. The seven new container ships, which will be delivered gradually beginning in 2024, will serve Guadeloupe and Martinique, significantly increasing services to the two islands while maintaining the same service standards, reliability, and regularity.
A.P. Moller – Maersk has identified partners to produce green fuel for its first vessel to run on carbon-neutral methanol. The partners, REintegrate and European Energy will build a new Danish facility to produce the approximately 10.000 tonnes of carbon-neutral e-methanol that Maersk’s first vessel with green e-methanol capability will consume annually. Maersk will collaborate closely with REintegrate and European Energy on the facility’s development. The fuel is expected to be available in 2023.
Although not all maritime ecosystem players have embraced biomethane, the product has a significant potential role and a great future in the transformation of the global maritime energy systems into green and energy-efficient ones.