UECC and Titan sign ‘major’ biomethane agreement

Norway-based RoRo transportation provider United European Car Carriers (UECC) and Dutch marine fuels supplier Titan Clean Fuels (Titan) have penned a new agreement under which Titan is set to supply liquefied gas, primarily biomethane (LBM/bio LNG), to the former’s multi-fuel ships.

UECC and Titan have disclosed that this arrangement will cover the remainder of 2024 and extend through most of 2025.

It is understood that this deal expands upon UECC and Titan’s ongoing commitment to using liquefied biomethane, or LBM.

According to the companies, since the beginning of July this year, over 95% of the fuel delivered to UECC’s pure car and truck carriers (PCTCs) by Titan has been LBM, which has resulted in avoiding more than 30,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Back in July, UECC and Titan revealed that the PCTC would use 100% LBM as part of the former’s ‘Green Gas Month’ – an initiative envisioned to support its wider ‘Sail for Change’ sustainability program. In Green Gas Month, UECC calculated that well-to-wake emissions reductions might exceed 8,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

Daniel Gent, Energy & Sustainability Manager at UECC, commented: “Through our CO2 registry, this agreement offers our customers the opportunity to reduce their scope three emissions, and we appreciate those that have already jumped at the offer.”

“The engagement in Sail for Change from our customers, alongside Titan’s in-depth expertise in clean fuel supply and bunkering, has allowed us to almost entirely transition from LNG to LBM, and to swiftly scale up our use of biomethane. With this expansion, we look forward to hearing from more customers who want to reduce their scope three emissions and use sustainable shipping services today,” Gent further remarked.

On the other hand, according to Titan’s analysis, the quantity of LBM in 2025 which the two businesses are targeting appears to prevent more than 75,000 tonnes of GHG from being emitted.

Furthermore, using LBM over oil-based fuels is also believed to eradicate harmful local emissions like black soot and other particular matters (PM), nitrogen oxides (NOx) as well as sulfur oxides (SOx).

The transition to biomethane, in particular, is in line with UECC’s ‘Sail for Change’ strategy, the company highlighted, as it is anticipated to exceed its carbon intensity targets, which rely on the same metric as the FuelEU Maritime regulation.

In fact, the use of LBM is projected to help UECC achieve ‘full compliance’ with this regulation across its fleet.

“The LBM delivery scale and consistency we’re able to achieve is, in part, thanks to robust mass balancing processes and related liquefaction LNG terminal infrastructure in the region. It’s now time for the whole of Europe and the world to follow suit,” Caspar Gooren, Commercial Director Renewable Fuels at Titan, remarked.

“Looking ahead, both Titan and UECC are aligned on the need to geographically expand biomethane supply and diversify waste feedstocks to ensure certified LBM is accessible to those in shipping that want and need it.”

The new development comes a month after UECC placed an order for up to four multi-fuel battery hybrid PCTCs. The contract for the newbuildings was signed with shipbuilder China Merchants Jinling Shipyard Nanjing and it covered two firm vessels scheduled for delivery in 2028, with options for two more units.

As informed, these ships would have multi-fuel LNG-powered engines, an aerodynamic hull design, as well as shore power capability and solar panels installed on the top deck.