HMM embarks on biofuel ship pilot testing on global route

South Korea has begun a pilot operation of a biofuel-powered container ship on a global route, the government said on Friday.

HMM Co.'s container ship Hyundai Takoma departed from Busan, a port city in southeastern Korea on Friday on a journey to Singapore, India and Brazil, said the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on the same day.  

The biofuel, a mixture of 70% regular marine diesel and 30% biodiesel fuel, reduces carbon emissions by more than 65% compared with fossil fuel for ships, HMM said.

The blended fuel is emerging as a resource for achieving International Maritime Organization’s decarbonization goal, without a need to refurbish existing marine engines.

HMM, the top shipping company in Korea, is planning to increase biofuel to 5-10% of its total fuel per year. It will proactively respond to global regulations on greenhouse gases and will step up eco-friendly shipping services for clients, the firm said.

The container line said it will verify the marine biofuel through the pilot tests and secure demand for the shipping services. It will continue to work to reduce greenhouse gasses to grow as a global top-tier shipping company, HMM added.

The pilot testing is backed by a biofuel demonstration scheme in June, led by Korea’s public-private partnership. A total of five or more trials will be conducted by the first half of 2024.

The data obtained from the pilot project will be used to set up marine biofuel quality standards by the end of 2024, and the relevant legal system will be overhauled soon, said an official from the trade ministry.

Write to Mi-Sun Kang at misunny@hankyung.com

Jihyun Kim edited this article.