Swedish shipping operator Wallenius SOL is increasing its use of biofuel across its fleet as part of efforts to comply with the European Union’s FuelEU Maritime regulation, according to Ship & Bunker.
The company has switched one of its vessels to advanced FAME (B100) fuel and plans to extend the practice to its B-Class ships, Ship & Bunker reports, citing a LinkedIn post published by Wallenius SOL. The shift is supported by regular biofuel bunkering operations at the port of Terneuzen in the Netherlands.
Building a Compliance Surplus
According to Ship & Bunker, burning B100 reduces the well-to-wake greenhouse gas intensity of the energy consumed onboard. This reduction allows Wallenius SOL to build up a compliance surplus under FuelEU Maritime rules.
The company said this surplus can then be applied across its broader fleet through the regulation’s flexibility tools, which include pooling, banking, and borrowing mechanisms, Ship & Bunker notes.
FuelEU Maritime came into force in January 2025 and imposes progressively stricter limits on the greenhouse gas intensity of energy used by vessels calling at EU ports, as reported by Ship & Bunker.
“At Wallenius SOL, we are not only adapting to the regulation,” the company said, according to Ship & Bunker. “We are using its mechanisms to enable more biofuel into our fleet and support the transition towards more sustainable shipping.”
Ship & Bunker reports that Wallenius SOL operates a fleet of nine vessels, comprising RoRo ships, ConRo vessels, and feeder ships, based on information from the company’s website.
Does This Matter to You?
This development is relevant to those tracking how shipping companies are adapting to FuelEU Maritime’s tightening greenhouse gas intensity limits. Biofuel bunkering activity at hubs like Terneuzen may be of interest to fuel suppliers and traders monitoring demand trends for advanced FAME blends in the EU bunkering market.
The use of FuelEU’s flexibility mechanisms, such as pooling, banking, and borrowing surplus compliance, also illustrates how operators are structuring fleet-wide strategies rather than addressing compliance vessel by vessel. This may be useful context for those following how the regulation’s flexibility provisions are being applied in practice across the industry.
The source material does not provide details on cost implications, specific delivery volumes, or broader market effects, so any further impact on bunkering demand or pricing is not yet clear from this report.
Gulf Bunkering does not provide operational or security guidance. This article is for informational purposes only. Operators should consult flag state authorities, P&I clubs, and relevant advisories for decisions relating to transit planning.
Sources: Ship & Bunker
