Japanese refiner Idemitsu Kosan has partnered with trading house Kanematsu Corporation to supply biofuel blends to ocean-going vessels in Japan.

Idemitsu aims to supply about 5,000 mt of biofuel blend to ships, including domestic vessels, by March 2026, the company said in a press release on December 3.

The company will utilise Kanematsu’s marine facilities at Kokura, Fukuoka Prefecture, to supply fatty acid methyl ester (FAME)-based biofuel blends.

Idemitsu has already trialled its biofuel blend for coastal vessels operating in Hokkaido from 2023 to 2024.

“Hokkaido is a cold region, and there are issues such as fuel easily solidifying due to the low temperatures, but we confirmed that even when using bio-blended fuel, stable operation is possible under the same equipment and operating conditions as when using conventional marine fuel,” it said.

Last year, Idemitsu also completed a multi-month B24 biofuel blend trial on a 497 GT vessel.

The refiner claims it is the first Japanese refiner to supply FAME-based biofuel to ships in Japan, a move that could broaden biofuel bunker availability in the country and give ship operators more biofuel bunkering options in the region.