Draft plans to introduce greener fuels in the maritime industry, currently under development by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), could have a negative environmental impact, according to a report by Cerulogy on behalf of Transport & Environment (T&E).
Its study suggests that the majority of biofuels (60%) used by the shipping industry would come from palm and soy – two crops linked to deforestation – and require 34 million hectares of production by 2030, an area the size of Germany, to meet demand.
In addition, around 300 million bottles of vegetable oil would be diverted to powering ships on a daily basis, putting pressure on grocery prices, it adds.
Animal fats and UCO
While animal fats and used cooking oil, or UCO, have been cited as potential biofuels, the available quantity would only be enough to power between 2.5% and 3% of international shipping, the study notes.
‘Shipping companies like MSC and CMA-CGM have invested in so-called waste biofuels like used cooking oil (UCO) and animal fats,’ T&E said. ‘But waste biofuels will likely be able to cover just a small proportion of shipping’s projected biofuels demand as their availability is limited.’
As an example, a cargo ship traveling between China and Brazil would require the used cooking oil from more than 2,000 McDonald’s restaurants, or the equivalent of over 1 million pigs for animal fats.
Climate impact
“Fueling cargo ships with deforestation is a terrible idea,” commented Constance Dijkstra, shipping manager at T&E. “Burning crops for fuel is bad for the planet and bad for global food security. The IMO should consider the climate impact of bad biofuels to avoid doing more harm than good.”
T&E is urging the IMO to adopt a clear definition of ‘zero’ and ‘near-zero’ emission fuels, pledge to exclude biofuels linked to deforestation, cap the use of food-based biofuels, and encourage the development of green e-fuels produced from green hydrogen, to encourage the development of a more sustainable transport network. Read more here.
