Maersk’s green shipping plan runs up against scarce cooking oil

Global demand: A Maersk cargo ship at a harbour. The company uses biofuel in some vessels for clients who want to cut emissions. — AFP

COPENHAGEN: A.P. Moller Maersk A/S’s efforts to become carbon-neutral face an unusual hurdle: there isn’t enough used cooking oil to make the biofuel that powers the vessels.

“The biofuel is sourced from used cooking oil, but the problem is that the world doesn’t eat enough french fries,” said chief executive officer Soren Skou.