V-Bunkers, the Singapore bunkering arm of commodity giant Vitol, has reported its first deliveries of biofuel blended very low-sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) in the world’s top bunkering port.
The company said it had made “several deliveries” in the city state but gave no details as to the volumes or the shipowners involved.
However, it has been confirmed that one of the deliveries did involve a capesize bulker belonging to US-listed shipowner Seanergy Maritime Holdings.
The delivery was part of a trial by France’s TotalEnergies Marine Fuels to carry out its first bio-VLSFO bunker delivery in Singapore.
The French oil major, working with NYK Line and Anglo American, carried out the trials on Seanergy Maritime’s 177,900-dwt bulker Friendship (built 2009).
Mike Muller, head of Vitol Asia, said the deliveries demonstrated that Vitol has “the capability to bring to market these bespoke blended bunker supplies containing renewable energy.
“Biofuel bunker blends represent an ‘available-right-now’ decarbonisation option for shipowners and we are committed to making these blends more readily accessible to our shipping customers.”
Vitol said the trial deliveries had been facilitated by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) but gave no further details.
Quah Ley Hoon, chief executive of the MPA, said she was pleased the agency was able to facilitate Vitol’s delivery of their first biofuel blended VLSFO to Singapore.
“As the world’s top bunkering port, we will continue to work with industry partners like Vitol to promote and provide the industry with greener marine fuels options in our drive towards more sustainable shipping,” she said.
Vitol is one of the biggest charterers of tankers and bunkers, with more than 250 vessels at sea transporting its cargoes at any one time.
It announced its arrival in the Singapore bunker market in early 2020 with the acquisition of Sinanju Tankers Holdings and took over a fleet of 15 modern Singapore-flagged bunker tankers.
These included the 7,990-dwt Marine Vicky (built 2019) — Singapore’s first LNG powered dual-fuelled bunker tanker.
