Gasum’s bunkering vessel Kairos generates compliance for Gasum’s FuelEU Maritime pooling service by running on bio-LNG

May 12, 2025

Kairos bunkering a vessel in Le Havre, France credit:GASUM

Nordic energy company Gasum’s chartered LNG bunker vessel Kairos runs on renewable bio-LNG as a way to generate compliance as a service for Gasum’s FuelEU Maritime pooling customers. Vessel owner Bernhard Schulte is happy to see Kairos reduce the carbon footprint of maritime transport.

Gasum and ship owner Bernhard Schulte have agreed that going forward Gasum’s chartered bunker vessel Kairos will run on waste-based bio-LNG and join Gasum’s FuelEU Maritime pool as a compliance generator.

As Kairos’s charterer and as an established bio-LNG producer and distributor, Gasum is able to guarantee significant emission reductions to the pool. Gasum manages the pool, supplies the ultra-low emission bio-LNG and offers over-compliance to shipping companies with under-compliant vessels.

“This step makes it even simpler for us to ensure the needed emission reductions to our pool at all times. According to expert estimates there will be much more compliance deficit than there is surplus on offer at the end of 2025, which makes this all the more important”, says Jacob Granqvist, Vice President, Maritime, Gasum.

“We are very pleased that Gasum, as charterer, has made the decision to use bio-LNG and that the ‘Kairos’ will thus reduce its carbon footprint even further. We need joint efforts and solutions to decarbonise shipping,” says Christian Breuel, Managing Director Tankers, Bernhard Schulte

Reducing emissions through bio-LNG use and pooling

FuelEU Maritime is a European Union regulation established to increase the use of renewable and low-carbon fuels and limit greenhouse gas emissions. Starting 2025 vessel owners need to reduce the carbon intensity of purchased fuel initially by two percent with the required reduction growing incrementally to as much as 80% by 2050.

To promote use of low carbon fuels and to make compliance easier for shipping companies, FuelEU Maritime permits the voluntary pooling of emission reductions between vessels. This means, that vessels that are over-compliant can compensate emissions on behalf of under-compliant vessels, in other words, provide compliance as a service.

Liquefied biomethane, bio-LNG, is a fully renewable and environmentally friendly fuel with life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions that are, on average, 90% lower when compared with fossil fuel use. Biogas can be used in all the same applications as natural gas.

Gasum’s strategic goal is to offer 7 TWh of renewable gas, including biomethane and e-methane, to its customers yearly by 2027. Achieving this goal would mean a combined carbon dioxide reduction of 1.8 million tons per year for Gasum’s customers.