Oman making moves to position itself as green bunkering hub: Oman’s leading logistics solutions provider Asyad Group has signed a joint study agreement with energy firm OQ Alternative Energy and Sumitomo Corporation Middle East to explore Oman’s potential to be a low-carbon fuel bunkering hub, according to a statement.

What we know: The group has issued a request for information (RFI) from the world’s leading shipping companies to propel the adoption of global green logistics solutions in the country, the statement notes. The insights gathered from the RFI will form the foundation of a feasibility study to assess key factors including levelized costs of low-carbon fuel delivery, the infrastructure needed to support operations, and alignment with global regulatory standards.

Leveraging Oman’s existing facilities: Existing bunkering sites in Oman’s Salalah and Duqm ports are earmarked for retrofitting to support low-carbon fuel operations, the statement added.

Things are taking shape in Oman: Oman’s Sohar port also announced in June that it will start using biofuel bunkering in tugboat operations after experimenting with B20 — an 80% diesel and 20% biofuel mix — at Tug Sohar.

The market is ripe for the taking: Marine biofuel demand at Singapore — the world’s largest bunkering hub — is likely to double to nearly 1 mn metric tons by 2025. Several shipping firms are testing out marine biofuel as an eco-friendly substitute for traditional fuel oil to help lower their carbon emissions. Bio-blended marine fuel sales at Singapore increased more than threefold last year to top 500k tons.

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