Straits Bio-LNG joins SEA-LNG

Straits Bio-LNG, a biofuel supplier based in Singapore, has joined the SEA-LNG alliance, which is the industry advocate group supporting LNG as a maritime fuel. The coalition’s newest member comes as LNG now accounts for the majority of alternative fuel vessel orders. And as more LNG-fueled boats have come into service, LNG bunkering volumes have increased dramatically in strategic bunkering hubs. According to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), 2024 volumes increased by four times to around 340,000 tonnes.

Straits Bio-LNG has established an initial production target of 250,000 tonnes of bio-LNG annually in recognition of industry demand. Straits intends to employ innovative techniques to meet its bio-LNG supply target. At its research and development facility in Malaysia, the company is currently testing a well-established biological technique with a high concentration of enzymes to break down Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB). It has been determined that EFB and Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) are both sustainable biomass supplies.

Up to 13% of the overall energy demand for shipping fuels in 2050 might be met by pure bio-LNG, according to an independent analysis by the Maritime Energy and Sustainable Development Centre of Excellence at Nanyang Technical University in Singapore. This percentage would increase to 63% at a 20% blending ratio.

In order to supplement the current onshore LNG bunkering storage and jetty capacity as well as the supply of e/bio-methane as marine fuel in the Port of Singapore, Singapore recently initiated an Expression of Interest (EOI) to investigate scalable methods for sea-based LNG reloading.