Monjasa completes first biofuels supply off Peru

Marine fuels supplier Monjasa has supplied a total of 510 tonnes of B30 marine biofuels to the Cargill-operated dry bulk carrier, Infinity Sky.

The bunkering operation took place in the Port of Callao, Peru, on February 22, 2024.

As explained, the operation marked the first ISCC-certified biofuels supply on the Pacific Coast of South America and the establishment of a scalable second-generation marine biofuels supply chain. This new and sustainable setup is developed in collaboration with Fuel & Marine Oil Corp (FAMOIL) and is capable of delivering a total of 12,000-15,000 tonnes monthly.

This new Peruvian biofuels option is an extension of Monjasa’s existing biofuels operations in Cartagena, Colombia and forms part of the company’s overall preparations for the changing marine fuels mix, Monjasa said. Although today’s marine biofuels markets are still emerging slowly, Monjasa is currently in dialogue with several shipowners and operators to arrange both spot and contract-based supplies in Peru and the traditionally busy Port of Callao. The area has also become a popular bunker call-only option for vessels rerouting south due to the ongoing Panama Canal transit restrictions.

“We are excited to keep challenging the status quo and offer new solutions to shipowners who are increasingly looking for ways to decarbonise their vessels. Based on our daily conversations with customers, we expect to see more shipowners moving from biofuels trial runs to more regular supplies – and making these fuels more broadly available is the first step of that development. We are all on a steep learning curve and we would like to thank our partners on this first supply operation, FAMOIL and Cargill, who have contributed significantly to reaching this milestone,” Jonas Bruslund, Trading Director Americas, commented.

This new low-carbon fuels option in Peru is said to be another example of global marine fuel suppliers such as Monjasa engaging further into new partnerships across the supply chain. As such, this new second-generation biofuels supply chain is a result of the combined efforts by FAMOIL and Monjasa to offer a full-fledged setup.

As shipowners’ biofuel preferences differ, this new collaboration accommodates both VLSFO and HSFO-based biofuel blends as well as availability of pure biodiesel B100. On the occasion of the first supply operation, the B30 biofuel blend consisted of 30% fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) and 70% very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO).

As an ISCC-certified partner, Monjasa allows all involved parties to trace feedstock used for the production of biofuels from the point of origin to the end consumer. In addition, it measures the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from each phase of the supply chain and makes this data available to shipowners as well.

Looking ahead, Monjasa aims to establish a string of biofuels supply locations across the region to support the shipping industry in meeting IMO’s 2050 climate change commitments.