IKEA Transport & Logistics Services, CMA CGM, the GoodShipping Program and the Port of Rotterdam have announced they will cooperate in a first of its kind partnership to test and scale the use of sustainable marine bio-fuel oil.
The test will commence with a landmark bunkering of the marine bio-fuel oil on a CMA CGM container vessel on 19 March, representing a major step towards the decarbonisation of ocean freight.
Scaling Low Carbon Marine Bio-fuel Oils
The test is being facilitated by the GoodShipping Program, a sustainable initiative dedicated to decarbonising ocean freight, and is the latest step in the scaling of low carbon marine bio-fuel oils for wider commercial use within the maritime industry.
CO2 Reduction without Engine Modifications
The sustainable marine bio-fuel oil has been developed by GoodFuels, which provides sustainable marine biofuels to the global commercial shipping fleet, after undergoing three years of intensive testing with marine engine manufacturers.
The second generation bio-fuel oil is completely derived from forest residues and waste oil products, expected to deliver eighty to ninety per cent well-to-propeller CO2 reduction versus fossil equivalents, and virtually eliminates sulphur oxide (SOx) emissions – without any requirement for engine modifications.
Scalability, Sustainability and Technical Compliance
Through this collaboration, the companies involved aim to demonstrate the scalability, sustainability and technical compliance of sustainable marine bio-fuel oil, and thereby spur the wider continued development of realistic options to curb greenhouse gas and sulphur oxide emissions from shipping.
Shipping at a Crossroads
This announcement comes at a time when the shipping sector is at a crossroads, with owners and operators required to switch to low sulphur fuels by 2020. The industry also faces impending International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reduction requirements, including an objective to reduce average carbon intensity from shipping – the amount of carbon emitted for each unit of transport – by at least 40% by 2030, and 70% by 2050.
Picture by CMA CGM.
