Month: October 2020

Posted on by regroup

Surplus Oil Products ‘Risk Turning Ship Fuel To Sludge’

The quality of ship fuel is currently being called into question, as a result of surplus oil products like diesel and straight-run kerosene being used to make very low-sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) for ships, with some blends becoming less viscous, which could affect the stability of the fuel.

Industry experts are now voicing concerns that this could potentially result in the fuel turning to sludge, which would then in turn overwhelm the engines on ships, Bloomberg Green reports.

Shippers have been turning to VLSFO as they adjust to new regulations stipulating that ships must only burn fuel with no more than 0.5 per cent sulphur content, unless they’ve been gifted with pollution-reduction kits (regulations known as IMO 2020).

It can be particularly tricky to identify unstable fuel, however, and it’s possible that a bad batch may only be discovered weeks after delivery, even if it passed initial specification requirements, fuel tester Steve Bee observed.

Unni Einemo, director of the International Bunker Industry Association, made further comments, saying “The shipping industry is still attempting to get used to new low-sulphur fuel oil blends. People are still trying to assess where the weak points are for the new fuels. IMO 2020 is not over.”

IMO regulations, designed to reduce sulphur oxide emissions from ships, were first introduced back in 2005 and since then, limits on emissions have been progressively tightened.

Benefits of these regulations include cleaner air, positive impacts on human health (such as reduced premature death rates and cardiovascular/respiratory diseases) and increased compliance with enforcement authorities.

Looking for fuel oil companies? Get in touch with RE:Group today.

Posted on by regroup

New Northern Endurance Partnership Established

A new Northern Endurance Partnership has been set up, led and operated by energy multinational BP, will see the development of offshore CO2 transport and storage infrastructure in the North Sea.

The conglomerate will partner with fellow industry players Total, Shell, National Grid, Equinor and Eni, with the initiative serving the Net Zero Teesside and Zero Carbon Humber projects, Investable Universe reports.

The aim of these two projects, which will become the first net-zero industrial clusters in the world, is to kickstart the decarbonisation of both industry and power in Teesside and Humberside, two of the country’s biggest industrial clusters, towns that are dependent upon energy-intensive industries such as chemicals, steel manufacturing and commodity production.

A bid for funding has now been submitted through Phase 2 of the government’s INdustrial Decarbonisation Challenge, an incentive scheme intended to accelerate development of an offshore pipeline network that will transport captured CO2 emissions to offshore geological storage in the North Sea.

It’s hoped that both projects will be up and running by 2026, with pathways to achieve net zero emissions achieved through technologies such as carbon capture, hydrogen and fuel switching. If successful, they will enable the decarbonisation of almost 50 per cent of the country’s industrial emissions.

Vice-president of carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) at BP and managing director for Net Zero Teeside Andy Lane said: “The formation of the Northern Endurance Partnership is another significant milestone towards ‎developing the offshore infrastructure that will be needed to safely transport and store CO2 from ‎CCUS projects along England’s east coast. 

“The partnership and our joint bid demonstrate industry’s ‎willingness to come together and collaborate wherever possible to accelerate making CCUS a reality ‎in the UK, helping to decarbonize the local economy and contributing to the U.K.’s climate goals.”

Martin Cook, senior vice-president for business development for National Grid Ventures, made further comments, saying that National Grid is keen to contribute to the UK’s economic recovery by investing in solutions that will help support a net zero future.

The new partnership will make use of the experience of the coalition’s members to develop the infrastructure required to unlock the benefits of carbon capture, utilisation and storage across the region.

CCUS is critical to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 in the UK and is, as BP explains, the only way to decarbonise many industries.

In fact, the Humber is the most carbon-intensive industrial cluster in the country, emitting 12.5 million tonnes of CO2 each year, while industries in Teesside make up 5.6 per cent of the nation’s emissions. And five of the UK’s top 25 CO2 emitters can be found in the region, as well, so CCUS can make a huge difference in this part of the UK.

Looking for fuel oil suppliers at the moment? Get in touch with RE:Group today.