Stolt Tankers successfully completes marine biofuel trial

Photo: Stolt-Nielsen

37,000 DWT chemical tanker Stolt Inspiration recently completed her transatlantic voyage partly powered by a marine biofuel produced from sustainable and certified feedstocks.

During the crossing from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, to Houston, Texas, the key objective was to understand the impact of the biofuel on consumption, power and reliability in both engines and boilers. These objectives align with Stolt Tankers’ focus on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in line with the IMO’s target to reduce shipping’s total annual GHG emissions by at least 50 percent by 2050 compared to 2008 levels.

Initial trial results were very positive, the equipment performed as expected and the use of the second-generation biofuel resulted in an 85 to 90 percent reduction in well-to-exhaust CO2 emissions when compared to traditional fuels. The Stolt Tankers team continues to investigate the viability of biofuels, considering availability and costs, which are typically around 10 percent higher than existing fuels.

“It’s great to see the positive results of the biofuel trial,” said Lucas Vos, president of Stolt Tankers. “We are exploring several alternative fuels for our fleet as the industry moves towards a carbon-neutral future. We are committed to working with other leaders to explore innovative technologies to reduce our environmental footprint, while continuing to provide customers with the highest levels of quality and safety that they expect from us.”

Stolt Inspiration bunkered the biofuel, derived from used cooking oil, tallow and waste animal fats, in Rotterdam in April. The biofuel used is functionally equal to petroleum-derived marine fuels, and no modifications to the engine or the fuel infrastructure were required.