Boskalis’ Fleet May Switch to Marine Biofuels

Boskalis today announced their collaboration with GoodFuels and Wärtsilä in a two-year pilot program to accelerate the development of truly sustainable, scalable and affordable marine bio-fuels. Bio-fuels today are not part of the marine fuel mix that operators and owners can choose from. This means that shipping is missing an opportunity to utilize what should be a price competitive, environmentally friendly fuel option. The consortium believes that these bio-fuels will play a viable role in reducing emissions that no other fuel can currently achieve, without a capital-intensive fleet renewal or retrofitting. The consortium will test several next generation bio-fuels at the Wärtsilä laboratory in Vaasa, Finland before ‘sea trials’ are carried out on various vessels within Boskalis’ global fleet.

The pilot’s focus will be on delivering and analyzing a sustainable feedstock, securing industry certification, and preparing the building blocks for large-scale production. Additionally, the consortium will initiate a global scalability study involving leading shipowners, universities, NGOs, ports, biofuel companies and other industry stakeholders. The aim will be to identify tangible opportunities for scaling supply to the world’s commercial shipping fleet.

GoodFuels Marine, which has been developed by a team boasting a successful track record in commercializing sustainable bio-fuels for the aviation industry, has also created a ‘sustainability advisory board’ consisting of leading NGOs and academics. This is to ensure that its products are 100% sustainable, and that the company bases itself on the leading Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) standard and principles.