Swedish owner Stena Bulk is to expand the use of biofuels on its tankers following a test run this month.
It loaded 250 tonnes of the bunkers made from recycled cooking oil on to the 50,000-dwt MR Stena Immortal (built 2016) in Rotterdam.
The 10-day commercial trial went very well, said chief executive Erik Hannell.
The fuel, produced by Dutch group GoodFuels Marine, cuts greenhouse gas emissions by 83% and substantially reduces SOX emissions.
During the trial, the biofuel was tested in tanks, and as it was burned in the engines, the fuel was again proven to be a technically compliant alternative to fossil fuels, the shipowner said.
Stena Bulk added that the test shows low-carbon shipping does not have to be decades away.
The company views the MR1-100 fuel as viable in the shorter term if industry leaders work together to push the development.
"We like to show the industry that we can start reducing the carbon footprint of shipping here and now while maintaining highest quality technical and commercial operations," said Hanell.
"The Stena Immortal performed very well running on the biofuel while continuing to deliver according to our customers’ needs without any disruption."
He added that the industry needs "pioneers" who are willing to collaborate and share knowledge as a way to move shipping toward greater sustainability.
Scaling up
Stena Bulk and GoodFuels will continue working together to gain more experience and scale the usage of biofuel, the Swedish shipowner said.
The trial was expected to see 690 fewer tonnes of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere.
"We are delighted this test with Stena Bulk was a success and want to thank them for joining us in our mission to develop a carbon-busting solution that is scalable, truly sustainable, technically compliant and, crucially, affordable," GoodFuels chief executive Dirk Kronemeijer said.
"For the past five years, we have focused on realising the widescale use of sustainable marine biofuel, which has enabled us to continue to develop biofuels as a true solution to the market’s problems."
Companies as diverse as Hapag-Lloyd, Norden, United European Car Carriers and Samskip have also been testing out biofuels on their vessels.
