US imports of Chinese used cooking oil set for new record, future uncertain | Maritime Crew

U.S. imports of used cooking oil (UCO) from China are set to hit a record in the months ahead, even as regulatory uncertainty casts doubts over longer-term prospects of a trade that boomed last year, according to market participants.

U.S. demand for UCO, a feedstock for biofuels like renewable diesel, has surged as federal and state governments launched incentives to support the industry as they aim to decarbonize transportation. That sparked such a frenzied rush to build new renewable diesel plants that U.S. capacity more than doubled from 2021 to 282,000 barrels per day in 2023. according to government data.

The rapid surge flipped the U.S. from a net exporter of UCO until 2021, to a net importer since 2022. U.S. imports surpassed 1.36 million metric tons (mt) last year. up from about 400,000 mt in 2022, the data showed.

“Demand for UCO from U.S. renewable diesel producers has grown much faster than domestic supply,” said Duane Dunlap, owner of renewables consultancy DNS Enterprises.

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U.S. and UK Are Sidelining Fleet Auxiliary Ships Because of Crew Shortages | Rig Jobs

Both the Royal Navy’s Royal Fleet Auxiliary and the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command are sidelining some of their ships because of crew shortages, according to new reports. Both organizations have had serious recruitment and retention issues for years, and the decision to stack tonnage has been long in coming.

Not enough mariners, not enough leave

Military Sealift Command is the civilian-crewed auxiliary force for the U.S. Navy, and its vessels keep the rest of the fleet running. MSC dry stores ships and fleet oilers provide ammunition and fuel to keep surface combatants in the fight, and an array of special-purpose auxiliaries – submarine trackers, surveillance ships, salvage tugs and other specialized vessels – serve non-combat needs that would be expensive to fulfill otherwise.

Among U.S. merchant mariners, MSC is known for good pay and long contracts. Because of a persistent personnel shortage, a four-month scheduled hitch can turn into eight months or more while the mariner awaits the assignment of his or her relief. Due to the Pentagon’s vacation accrual policies, the limited leave that is available may be partly unpaid.

These conditions have been common knowledge for decades, but in a tight market, skilled mariners have many options in  commercial maritime and may select a private employer with a more family-oriented rotation schedule. According to USNI, MSC’s roster has thinned, and it now has about 1.3 mariners for every seagoing billet – too few to provide consistent rotations for the 4,500 crewmembers who are on board at any given time.

To improve this ratio, MSC is seeking approval for a plan to sideline all 12 of its actively serving expeditionary fast transports (EPFs), along with two civilian-crewed sea base ships, two Lewis & Clark-class dry cargo replenishment ships and one fleet oiler, according to USNI. By cutting as many as 700 seagoing billets, MSC could boost its mariner-to-billet ratio from 1.3 to 1.5 and improve quality of life for its seagoing personnel.

Some of the sidelined vessels are among MSC’s newest and best-known ships. The expeditionary fast transports are high-speed intratheater fast ferries, built in aluminum for light weight and fitted with a ramp for vehicle loading. They have a capacity of 600 tonnes, a top speed of up to 45 knots and a 26-member civilian crew, and are commonly used for goodwill port calls and relief missions.

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