Singapore Welcomes Its First 100% Biodiesel Research Harbour Ship

A 16-metre harbour ship named President 100, powered entirely by 100% biodiesel (B100), has been officially launched in Singapore. This vessel is part of a project aimed at testing the performance of B100 fuel in real-world marine conditions.

The ship is equipped with two CCFJ20J-W5BF generator sets and two Weichai WP13C450-18BF marine engines. These form the vessel’s core propulsion system, specially designed to run on pure biodiesel without blending with fossil fuels.

President 100 is jointly developed by four partners, Weichai, China Classification Society (Singapore), the Marine Energy and Sustainable Development Centre (MESD) at Nanyang Technological University, and Singapore-based shipbuilder Pinnacle Marine.

The project brings together marine engineering, academic research, classification expertise, and local shipbuilding capabilities.

The vessel is set to begin a 1,000-hour continuous trial in the port waters of Singapore. This long-term testing phase will evaluate the fuel’s real-life performance, reliability, and emission levels over time.

The data collected will help in developing future guidelines for storage, refueling systems, and the operational use of B100 in ships.

The launch of the vessel President 100, built by Pinnacle Marine, marks the beginning of large-scale testing of B100 marine fuel in actual port operations.

B100 biodiesel is considered one of the key solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from ships. Project members have stated that this fuel can offer a direct route to achieve net-zero targets in the shipping sector.

Weichai’s marine engines, built for high efficiency and tailored for B100 fuel, are expected to help reduce emissions significantly. The company aims to use this project as a demonstration of how biodiesel can work effectively at sea.

The trial is expected to serve as a reference model for Singapore’s shift towards clean marine energy. It also aims to contribute to setting industry-wide standards for using biodiesel in commercial vessels.

Reference: PRNewswire

Source: Maritime Shipping News