In recent years, the shipping sector has increasingly turned to liquid biofuels, particularly those comprising fatty acid methyl esters (FAME), to reduce GHG emissions due to its readiness for adoption1 . With the roll-out of a number of regulations, such as the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS), FuelEU Maritime, and the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII), the use of FAME can help shipping companies reduce emissions and improve environmental ratings
The use of biofuels is considered carbon neutral because combusting FAME releases the CO2 that was once absorbed by the vegetation and plants from which the fatty acids were derived, essentially returning the CO2 to the atmosphere. While this postulation is generally true, concerns remain on the detailed accounting of FAME’s carbon intensities and the overall GHG emissions balances associated with the acquisition of feedstocks. FAME can originate from diverse feedstocks, cultivated under varying methods, and collected through different practices, leading to variations in upstream environmental emissions footprint.
To address questions around FAME’s legitimacy as a sustainable marine fuel, MEPC 80 approved the “Interim Guidance on the Use of Biofuels”, that has specified qualifying biofuels to have a well-to-wake GHG emissions reduction of at least 65% compared to that of fossil Marine Gas Oil (MGO; 94 gCO2 eq/MJ) (IMO, 2023).
The complex network of stakeholders in marine fuels supply chains necessitates a more robust approach to ensure biofuel authenticity. While certification schemes play a crucial role, their reliance on retrospective audits leaves a gap in evidence-based detection of fraud. Physical validation is transparent, and can complement existing certification practices, justify the green premium with genuine environmental benefits, and ultimately safeguard the integrity of marine fuels supply chains.
International certification schemes, like the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC), as well as trusted bodies, like the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB), are in place to certify sustainable biofuels and track their volumes. These schemes primarily use retrospective administrative audits to monitor for fraudulent practices. Despite these measures, concerns over mislabelling of biofuels are rising (Grinsven, et al., 2020). For example, the European biodiesel industry and US biofuels businesses recently raised concerns on the origin of Used Cooking Oil Methyl Esters (UCOME) imports from China. Labelled as made with recycled oils and fats, the surging volumes of UCOME imports are suspected to be produced from cheaper and less sustainable virgin oils (Reuters, 2024; The Business Times, Singapore, 2024).
The concept of fingerprinting FAME to investigate fuel fraud emerged during the development of GCMD’s assurance framework for drop-in biofuels. As part of this larger pilot, GCMD, in collaboration with VPS, has developed a technique to identify FAME’s unique chemical fingerprint. This technique can improve transparency when tracing the origin and presence of FAME in marine fuels supply chains.
Source: Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation
