Marine fuels supplier Monjasa has completed the first ISCC-certified biofuel supply operation in Panama, marking the establishment of a scalable 2nd generation marine biofuels supply chain.
During the ship-to-ship operation performed by the 19,991 dwt bunker vessel Monjasa Thunder on February 2 in the Port of Cristobal, Monjasa supplied Heastia Leader, the 2008-built vehicle carrier operated by Japanese shipping player NYK Line, with a total of 9,000 metric tonnes of marine biofuels.
The ISCC-certified B30 biofuel consisted of 30% fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) and 70% very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO).
Panama’s first biofuel bunkering operation marked the setup of a scalable 2nd generation marine biofuels supply chain which, according to Monjasa, is capable of supplying a total of 5,000-7,000 metric tons monthly.
In the Americas, Monjasa has already established biofuel partnerships across the port of Callao in Peru and in Cartagena, Colombia .
Monjasa’s General Manager for Latin America, Jonas Bruslund , commented: “The introduction of biofuels in Panama has progressed slower than in major bunkering hubs like Singapore or Rotterdam, mainly due to lack of local feedstock and customer commitments.
“ However, we have now developed a viable strategy with a longstanding business partner to ship biofuels products from Europe for the benefit of shipowners operating in the Panama Canal area. The Panama Canal Authority has a strong agenda to promote low-carbon fuels and higher energy efficiency and we are pleased to challenge the status quo and actively support these efforts.”
On March 24, 2025, the Panama Canal Authority announced the introduction of a NetZero Slot initiative that prioritizes vessels running on low-carbon fuels and ships fitted with energy-efficient technologies, aiming to ‘fortify’ its own as well as global shipping decarbonization goals.
The service, set to begin in October 2025, will offer expedited transit for qualifying ships, including those equipped with energy-saving solutions and those that are dual-fuel-ready and capable of operating on at least one fuel with a well-to-wake (WtW) carbon intensity below 75 gCO2(e)/MJ.