China‘s Ministry of Commerce has approved Zhoushan to carry out blending and exporting of marine biofuel, launching the country’s first national pilot for the activity, according to an official announcement from the China (Zhejiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone.

The approval was issued alongside a local plan allowing Zhoushan to blend marine biofuel for export as part of its bulk-commodity hub strategy, the trade zone authority said in an update on its website on Monday.

It sees the policy will support the development of a domestic alternative fuel bunker supply chain and reduce reliance on imported marine biofuel blends, potentially positioning Zhoushan as a key supply centre for China and Northeast Asia.

Zhoushan is preparing its first pilot cargo, targeted for completion by the end of February, to test procedures and establish a management framework for future exports.

Zhoushan, China’s biggest bunker port, sold 8.03 million mt of bunker fuels in 2025, a 10.6% increase from 7.26 million mt sold in 2024.

While China has access to biofuel feedstocks, demand for marine biofuels has so far been limited.

At the IBIA Annual Convention in Hong Kong last year, a representative from a local supplier said uptake remains low and that higher-blend biofuels are unlikely to be widely sold in the near term.