For years, marine biofuels were treated as an alternative fuel: discussed extensively, but used by relatively few vessels. That is no longer the case. Biofuel blends containing FAME, including UCOME, are now part of mainstream marine fuel procurement, available across major bunkering hubs and used by shipowners seeking practical ways to reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions from the existing fleet.
For many vessels, FAME-based blends can be introduced through existing fuel systems and supply infrastructure. However, this does not remove the need for proper preparation. The product must be suitable for the vessel, its equipment and its intended operating conditions, with the relevant OEM, classification society and flag requirements considered before use.
What was once primarily viewed as a pilot solution is becoming part of routine fuel strategy. Operators are building practical experience and integrating biofuels into established fuel management procedures. At Peninsula, we are already supporting customers using biofuels across a wide range of vessel types, trades and operating environments.
This development is reflected in the recent publication of the Shipboard Biofuel Blend Checklist for FAME-based biofuels. Developed by the IBIA Technical Working Group, the checklist was submitted by IBIA and issued as an annex to IMO document MEPC 85/INF.10.
The checklist provides practical guidance on fuel assessment, compatibility, tank preparation, water management, bunkering, fuel treatment, storage and machinery monitoring. It also builds on established industry guidance, including CIMAC Guideline 04/2024, Marine Fuels Containing FAME. Through IBIA’s Technical Working Group, we were able to draw on the collective operational experience, technical expertise and best practices that have emerged as biofuels have become an increasingly established part of marine fuel supply.
The significance of this shift should not be underestimated.
When practical guidance developed by industry is formally included within the IMO documentation framework, it shows how far the conversation has moved. The question is no longer simply whether biofuels can be used in shipping. It is how they can be used safely, efficiently and consistently.
Knowledge Builds Confidence
One of the main barriers to wider biofuel adoption is not necessarily availability. It is confidence.
Confidence can lag behind adoption when discussions around biofuels focus disproportionately on perceived risks and overlook the substantial body of operational experience, technical guidance and successful use cases already available.
Engine manufacturers, classification societies, standard-setting bodies and industry organisations have developed extensive material to support the safe and effective use of biofuels.
CIMAC, IBIA and the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation have produced practical guidance and research covering fuel quality, onboard management, compatibility and supply-chain assurance. The Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping is also contributing to the industry’s understanding of maritime fuel-transition pathways through independent research, technical work and collaboration across the sector.
OEM guidance provides another important layer. Engine and equipment manufacturers have issued recommendations covering fuel acceptance, treatment, lubrication, machinery monitoring and operating parameters.
Operators are therefore not entering uncharted territory. Many of the important considerations associated with FAME-based biofuels are already well understood. It is time for the industry to move away from allowing the biofuel discussion to be shaped by fear-driven narratives and worst-case scenarios. Risks must be understood, assessed and managed, but they also need to be kept in perspective. Continually focusing on what might go wrong, while overlooking the standards, guidance and growing body of successful operational experience already available, does little to support balanced decision-making or build confidence.
Confidence is not built by repeatedly discussing what might go wrong. It is built through knowledge, standards, practical experience and disciplined fuel management.
Standards Drive Confidence
An equally important development has been the integration of biofuels into recognised marine fuel quality standards.
FAME-containing marine fuels do not sit outside the established fuel-quality framework. ISO 8217:2024 explicitly covers renewable-source marine fuels, including FAME-containing fuels within its defined scope.
The 2024 edition contains four specification tables. Table 1 covers distillate and bio-distillate marine fuels, while Table 3 covers bio-residual marine fuels. The standard permits FAME content of up to 100% by mass in designated DF grades, while the FAME content of RF grades under Table 3 is agreed between buyer and seller.
For shipowners and operators, this is significant. FAME-based biofuels and blends are no longer treated simply as exceptions to conventional marine fuel standards. They are incorporated into the industry’s primary fuel specification through defined grades, parameters and test methods.
This provides greater consistency and clarity across the supply chain.
Combined with guidance from independent industry bodies, classification societies and equipment manufacturers, the sector now has a robust body of technical knowledge supporting the safe and effective use of biofuels.
The IBIA-developed checklist, CIMAC’s technical guidance, GCMD’s work on marine biofuel assurance, contributions from the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, OEM recommendations and ISO 8217:2024 collectively demonstrate a more mature and aligned knowledge base across the industry.
When shipowners, suppliers, charterers and technical managers work from common standards and guidance, uncertainty is reduced and adoption becomes easier. Biofuels move from being viewed as a specialist product to being recognised for what they increasingly are: a marine fuel option supported by established standards, practical guidance and growing operational experience.
Operational Excellence Will Determine Success
As biofuel use grows, access to supply alone will not be the differentiator. Operational capability will.
A successful biofuel programme requires more than sourcing a lower-carbon product. It depends on traceability, sustainability certification, quality assurance, blending expertise, logistics coordination, documentation and technical support across the supply chain.
At Peninsula, we have built our biofuel proposition around these principles: an ISCC-certified supply chain, dedicated biofuel expertise, in-house quality specialists and a global delivery network designed to help customers use biofuels effectively and with confidence.
Peninsula has completed more than 450 biofuel deliveries globally, supporting over 100 customers and helping avoid more than 150,000 tonnes of CO₂e during 2025. The fuel itself is only part of the solution. The controls, expertise and operational support surrounding its use are equally important.
Moving the Conversation Forward
Biofuels are no longer a proof of concept for shipping. Nor are they confined to trials and demonstration projects. They are already being supplied, delivered and used by vessels around the world as part of routine operations.
The conversation now is about using them responsibly, effectively and at greater scale. While risks, as with any marine fuel, must continue to be understood and managed, the industry should avoid allowing the discussion to be dominated by fear-driven narratives and worst-case scenarios. The standards, guidance and operational experience available today provide a strong foundation for informed decision-making.
The focus should now shift from questioning whether biofuels have a role to play to embedding them safely, consistently and professionally into routine marine operations at scale.
By Jeroen de Vos, Head of Global Operations & Quality, Peninsula and Vice Chair, IBIA
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