A consortium comprised of Wärtsilä, GoodFuels Marine, and Boskalis will head a two year pilot programme to accelerate the development of sustainable, scalable and affordable marine bio-fuels. Bio-fuels are today not part of the marine fuel mix that operators and owners can choose and this means that shipping is missing an opportunity to utilise what should be an environmentally friendly fuel option.
The programme’s focus will be on identifying suitable marine biofuels, securing industry certification, and preparing the building blocks for large-scale production. Additionally, the consortium will initiate a global scalability study involving leading ship owners, universities, NGOs, ports, bio-fuel companies and other industry stakeholders. The aim will be to identify tangible opportunities for scaling supply to the world’s commercial shipping fleet.
The consortium will test several next generation bio-fuels made from industrial waste streams, at the Wärtsilä laboratory in Vaasa, Finland before ‘sea trials’ are carried out on vessels within Boskalis’ global fleet. With the objective of developing a fuel mix that is fully sustainable, the programme seeks to promote a reduced carbon footprint (up to 90% versus fossil fuels) for the maritime sector. The consortium believes that these bio-fuels will play a viable role in lowering emissions to levels that no other fuel can currently achieve without a capital-intensive fleet renewal or retrofitting.
“Wärtsilä, together with its customers, is highly committed to continuously finding better, more sustainable marine engine solutions. This is another great example of that commitment, whereby we support pioneering innovations that provide ship operators with greater flexibility and choice about how they can reduce emissions,” says Roger Holm, Senior Vice President, Engines, Wärtsilä Marine Solutions
Theo Baartmans, COO of Boskalis, the Netherlands based dredging and marine services specialist, commented: “We strongly believe in the need for sustainable “drop in” marine bio-fuels and their potential as part of the long term fuel mix, as we see them as an important means of improving the sustainability of the industry. Participating in this pilot and making our vessels available is in line with Boskalis’ approach to seeking innovations that work hand in hand with sustainability.”
GoodFuels Marine is a company based in the Netherlands specialising in sustainable marine fuels. The company’s CEO, Dirk Kronemeijer, added: “We believe that the international shipping market is now ready and well-placed to embrace truly sustainable, long term alternative fuels that can meet all stringent technical, economical and sustainability standards, just as witnessed in the sustainable jet fuel market five years ago. As the shipping industry seeks means of contributing towards carbon and wider emissions reduction, we are hugely excited to be part of such a strong consortium with the expertise and motivation needed to achieve this bold mission.”
Drop in bio-fuels are liquid hydrocarbons that are functionally equivalent to petroleum derived fuels, meaning that they can be effectively interchanged with conventional fuels. Minimal engine modifications may be necessary in some cases.
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Caption: The bio-fuel test engine in the Wärtsilä laboratory in Vaasa, Finland.
Media contacts:
Mr Henrik Wilhelms
Director, Sales Support
Wärtsilä Marine Solutions
Tel: +358 40 501 0629
henrik.wilhelms@wartsila.com
Ms Marit Holmlund-Sund
Senior Manager Marketing, Communications, Marine Solutions
Wärtsilä Corporation
Tel: +358 10 709 1439
marit.holmlund-sund@wartsila.com
Wärtsilä in brief:
Wärtsilä is a global leader in complete lifecycle power solutions for the marine and energy markets. By emphasising technological innovation and total efficiency, Wärtsilä maximizes the environmental and economic performance of the vessels and power plants of its customers.
In 2014, Wärtsilä's net sales totalled EUR 4.8 billion with approximately 17,700 employees. The company has operations in more than 200 locations in nearly 70 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki, Finland.
www.wartsila.com
