HMM targets to have 10% of fuel mix coming from biofuels

HMM, South Korea’s flagship line, intends to have as much as 10% of its fuel mix coming from biofuels by 2026.

HMM announced today that it conducted another trial use of a sustainable marine biofuel on its 6,400 teu containership HMM Tacoma calling in Busan.

This marine biofuel consists of 30% biodiesel derived from used cooking oil and 70% high sulphur fuel oil (HSFO), which HMM claims reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 24% compared to conventional fuels. HMM said it plans to expand the use of biofuel gradually, reaching about 5-10% of annual fuel consumption by 2026.

Last April, HMM signed a memorandum of understanding with Korean energy firm GS Caltex to secure marine biofuels.

The company, like all global liners, is exploring plenty of other alternate fuels at present.

In February this year, HMM signed newbuilding contracts for nine 9,000 teu methanol-powered vessels and, last April, reinforced the partnership with Lotte Fine Chemical to explore feasible solutions to the ammonia supply chain. The company is also preparing operational tests of an onboard carbon capture system for its containership fleet.