Time period: 2018-2021

Members involved: Bunge, Forum for the Future, IMC, Lloyd’s Register, Louis Dreyfus Company, Maersk, Oldendorff Carriers, RightShip, South32, Swire Shipping, WWF

Partners: Forum for the Future, GreenFuelHub

In May 2018, the SSI released a report on Zero Emission Vessels (ZEVs) as part of its Low-Carbon Shipping working group, following which members agreed to embark on a deep dive into biofuels and launched an inquiry into the sustainability and availability of biofuels for shipping. 2019 then saw SSI lead a stakeholder consultation process which led to a high-level panel event at Climate Week NYC and a presentation of findings for the IMO’s Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of GHG Emissions, as well as to the launch of The role of sustainable biofuels in the decarbonisation of shipping report at COP25.

2020 and 2021 saw the work expand to focus on identifying sustainability criteria for all marine fuels under consideration for shipping’s decarbonisation, concluding the biofuel work. In June 2021, SSI launched the Availability of sustainable biofuels report, authored by GreenFuelHub, which reviewed the current landscape for biofuels in shipping, challenges around availability, as well as the industry’s role in the broader bioeconomy.

The role of sustainable biofuels for shipping

Phase 1 (2018) of the deep dive into biofuels for shipping generated an internal SSI knowledge paper raising nine key questions facing the shipping industry surrounding its adoption of biofuels. Following this, SSI members agreed on the need for wider engagement within and beyond the maritime industry to respond to these questions and the emerging challenges in the ongoing debate on biofuels for shipping.

Phase 2 (2019) saw the launch of an inquiry into the sustainability and availability of biofuels for shipping, conducting an extensive stakeholder consultation process throughout 2019 – facilitated by sustainability non-profit Forum for the Future – that brought together a diverse range of stakeholders encompassing actors in shipping, climate, energy among other sectors. The inquiry sought to answer the question: “Based on an in depth stakeholder engagement on the viability, suitability and sustainability in the context of the wider system – What is the role that biofuels play, if any, in the decarbonisation of shipping?”

Phase 3 (2020-21) further unpacked outstanding issues and unanswered questions raise in phase 2’s inquiry, drawing on academic research, industry reports, and publicly available data to outline the current landscape for biofuels in shipping, covering biofuel types and production methods, use and trials in shipping, as well as the challenges surrounding availability and shipping’s role in the broader bioeconomy.

  • Bring together a diverse range of stakeholders to contribute thought leadership, canvass different perspectives, convene debate, and feed into the ongoing and wider dialogue on decarbonisation, zero emission shipping and the role of sustainable biofuels in the energy transition

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