GCMD Partners with Authentix for Biofuel Supply Chain Trial

The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) has completed a two-year pilot study aimed at ensuring supply chain integrity and fuel authenticity for drop-in green fuels (ie. renewable fuels made from biomass sources that can be blended with petroleum products).

The final trial within the study involved a biofuel blended with a very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) and neat fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) produced from food waste. This was provided by petroleum giant bp.

The FAME was dosed with an organic- based tracer supplied by Authentix and then transported to the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands for blending with the VLSFO, before being bunkered onboard a container vessel operated by Hapag-Lloyd.

Fuel testing company Veritas Petroleum Services witnessed the operation from biofuel cargo transfer to bunkering, and also conducted laboratory tests on samples of the biofuel and biofuel blend collected at pre-determined points along the supply chain to assess quality. The tracer was found to be at expected concentrations at all sampling points.