OOCL, partners opt for biofuel-based decarbonization pathway

Hong Kong-based container shipping company Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) and partners have joined hands to advance low-carbon shipping, opting for biofuel to reduce supply chain emissions.

With the participation of several partners including Swedish furniture company IKEA and Japanese multinational ceramics and electronics manufacturer Kyocera, the first voyage commenced in early August.

The fuel used on the voyage is a B24 biofuel blend, with ISCC-certified Used Cooking Oil Methyl Ester as a component in the very low sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO).

Replacing fossil fuel with biofuel can reduce carbon emissions in shipping and is considered a viable transitional solution towards long-term decarbonization goals. The amount of carbon saved on this voyage will be attributed to these partners, reducing the carbon footprint of the cargo.

A Green Certificate will be issued to each of the partners as a credible certification of the saved carbon emissions by opting for biofuel. The process is verified and powered by Global Shipping Business Network (GSBN), a non-profit blockchain consortium.

Carbon emission saving calculation and allocation are tracked by blockchain, with traceable and immutable record. OOCL uses the Well-to-Wake approach to measure the lifecycle carbon emissions, from the production of the fuel to its consumption in ship operation.

OOCL has started using biofuel on some of its vessels since 2023 as one of the company’s strategies to advance with the transition towards decarbonization. The company is committed to building greener maritime supply chains with partners and has formulated sustainable shipping solutions for them based on their demand and environment target, working with partners towards the mutual goal of decarbonizing ocean shipping.

“Working with partners on low-carbon shipping is definitely a very important milestone in OOCL’s environmental and sustainability journey that enables both OOCL and our partners to advance towards their own decarbonization roadmap. I would like to thank our partners such as IKEA, Kyocera and several others for their trust and support in OOCL and for their participation in the first voyage,” Michael Xu, Director of Trades at OOCL, commented.

“We are keen to establish additional long-lasting sustainability collaborations with all our partners and stakeholders to reduce emissions along the supply chain and to create a greener future together.”

On August 16, 2024, OOCL, in cooperation with marine fuel provider Chimbusco Pan Nation Petro-Chemical (CPN), completed its first biofuel bunkering operation in Hong Kong.

Back in 2022, the company completed a trial use of marine biofuel for the first time in its fleet in 2022. A year later, one of its containerships was bunkered with a 24 biofuel blend provided by KPI OceanConnect while docked at the Port of Singapore.