Supply chain vulnerability assessment of alternative marine fuels in Canada
department or school: Science, Faculty of
department or school: Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES), Institute for
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCV
creator: Liu, Zixuan
issued: 2024-12-09T19:38:16Z
issued: 2024
related degree: Master of Science - MSc
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: Marine shipping, responsible for about 80% of global trade by volume, also contributes 3% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In line with the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) net-zero strategy, Canada has set ambitious GHG reduction targets for its marine sector. Given the sector's reliance on fossil fuels and the urgent need for decarbonization, marine operators are particularly interested in near-term alternatives like biodiesel and renewable diesel for achieving interim targets by 2030. However, significant gaps remain in understanding the supply feasibility of these fuels in the Canadian context, including feedstock availability, market fluctuations, and biofuel policies. This research evaluates biodiesel and renewable diesel supply chain vulnerabilities in Canada to support marine operators’ decision-making from a supply feasibility perspective. This thesis addresses these gaps by developing a comprehensive vulnerability assessment framework for biodiesel and renewable diesel supply chains, combining a suite of systems analysis methods. Inspired by the Drivers, Pressures, States, Impacts, Response (DPSIR) framework, this study identifies and defines key pressures and state indicators for both alternatives. Causal loop diagrams (CLDs) are developed to map how these pressures can influence the reliability and consistency of fuel supply through the measurement of state indicators. Strategy mapping analysis, using graph theory and complex network theory, further highlights the interconnection of international and domestic supply chains and the vulnerable supply chain processes, such as feedstock supply and end-user demand. To ground the conceptual assessment framework in real-world application, this thesis explores four regional case studies of Canadian biodiesel and renewable diesel supply chains, assessing the unique regional supply challenges faced by marine operators. For instance, in the Arctic, extreme cold can cause biodiesel to gel, making…
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/89802
note: SUPPLY CHAIN VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT OF ALTERNATIVE MARINE FUELS IN CANADA by Zixuan Liu M.Sc., University College London, 2020 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Resources, Environment, and Sustainability) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) December 2024 © Zixuan Liu, 2024 ii The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for acceptance, the thesis entitled: Supply Chain Vulnerability Assessment of Alternative Marine Fuels in Canada submitted by Zixuan Liu in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Resources, Environment, and Sustainability Examining Committee: Dr. Amanda Giang, Associate Professor, Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, UBC Supervisor Dr. Xiaotao Bi, Professor, Clean Energy Research Centre, UBC Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Naoko Ellis, Professor, Clean Energy Research Centre, UBC Additional Examiner iii Abstract Marine shipping, responsible for about 80% of global trade by volume, also contributes 3% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In line with the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) net-zero strategy, Canada has set ambitious GHG reduction targets for its marine sector. Given the sector's reliance on fossil fuels and the urgent need for decarbonization, marine operators are particularly interested in near-term alternatives like biodiesel and renewable diesel for achieving interim targets by 2030. However, significant gaps remain in understanding the supply feasibility of these fuels in the Canadian context, including feedstock availability, market fluctuations, and biofuel policies. This research evaluates biodiesel and renewable diesel supply chain vulnerabilities in Canada to support marine operators’ decision-making from a supply feasibility perspective. This thesis a…
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
date issued: 2025-05
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0447430
language: eng
degree discipline: Resources, Environment and Sustainability
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: An error occurred on the license name.
rights URI: An error occurred getting the license - uri.
scholar level: Graduate
contributor: Giang, Amanda
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/89802