A drop-in fuel solution for the maritime industry
The transportation sector needs to reduce its emissions of CO2, SOx and NOx. This is a challenge, especially for the shipping industry. The lifetime of a vessel is 25 to 30 years, making the transition to newer, cleaner technologies a slow process. Modifications and conversions for existing vessels are an option, but recently an easier way accomplish emission reduction became available. It tackles the problem at the source by providing a better fuel.
“We developed our sustainable biofuel as a drop-in fuel. That means that there are no engine modifications necessary”, says CEO Dirk Kronemeijer. They named their product and company GoodFuels. Although the company has a strong maritime focus, they also develop biofuels for road transportation and the construction industry.
Second-generation
What makes GoodFuels different than other biofuels it is a second generation sustainable biofuel. “That means that our fuel is produced from certified feedstock that is labelled a waste or residue. If you use waste or residue, there are no land-use issues, no competition with food production or deforestation.” As a basis for GoodFuels you can think of used frying fat from, but a more promising is forest residues from the paper and pulp industry or other companies that work with wood as raw material.
This second-generation bio-fuel oil is expected to deliver 80-90 per cent well-to-propeller CO2 reduction versus fossil equivalents, and contains no sulphur oxide (SOx) emissions – all without any requirement for engine modifications or the use of scrubbers. The company has an independent sustainability board consisting of leading academic and NGO’s in the field of sustainable biofuels and transport, thereby giving an extra sustainability guarantee on top of the certifications.
Pioneers
“We are very proud of our invention. Developing it was one thing, convincing a shipowner to use the fuel another. It involves a lot of trust to expose the engine of your vessel to a new product”, says Kronemeijer. “We were looking for pioneers.” A big step was taken last November. After three years research and development with partners including Boskalis, trials started with product tanker Nord Highlander from the company NORDEN A/S as she ran in typical commercial operation in the North and Baltic Seas. “The trails proofed that a carbon-busting solution that is scalable, truly sustainable, technically compliant and – crucially – affordable, is possible.”
In the last months other companies became costumers. The first inland vessel from Combined Cargo Terminals started using GoodFuels in March. The vessel, For Ever , transports beer for Heineken. It is the result of programme supported by Expertise and Innovation Centre Inland Shipping in cooperation with the Port of Rotterdam, which also has its own fleet running on sustainable biofuels.
Energy transition
Inland shipping is not the only sector GoodFuels operates in. Leading global heavy lift shipping and offshore transportation and installation contractor Jumbo announced in August a joint initiative to test marine bio-fuel oil on an offshore decommissioning project involving Jumbo’s offshore vessel, Fairplayer . IKEA Transport & Logistics Services, CMA CGM and the Port of Rotterdam, together with the GoodShipping Program are also looking into using low carbon marine bio-fuel oils for wider commercial use within the maritime industry. The initiative involved landmark bunkering of the marine bio-fuel oil on a CMA CGM container vessel, last March.
“Our goal is to create a better world by accelerating the energy transition”, says Kronemeijer. “Providing a second-generation bio-fuel oil can make a difference in this transition phase, but it is not the silver bullet . A real solution for the shipping industry has to be invented.”
This article was previously published in Maritime Holland magazine, issue 3, 2019.