This followed the positive test of Heavy Fuel Oil-equivalent (HFO) Bio-Fuel Oil (GoodFuels BFO) during CMA CGM Alexander von Humboldt’s North Europe-Asia trip, which occurred in September and October of 2019.
This latest development comes after the world’s first fueling of a container ship with sustainable biofuel, when the CMA CGM White Shark during a call at the Port of Rotterdam in March of 2019.
Elisabeth Munck af Rosenschöld, Head of Sustainability, IKEA Global Transport & Logistics Services, said, “We are pleased to conclude that this pilot has been successful and that it has been proven possible to use advanced Bio-Fuel Oil on oceangoing vessels. It is only through collaboration and partnerships between major players – including cargo owners, ship operators and solution providers – that we can achieve real change at fast pace.”
Under the trial, sustainable BFO was used in a blend with conventional fossil-based marine fuels to power a vessel on a major oceangoing route. Both applications of the BFO showed a positive result, thus proving the technical compatibility of sustainable marine biofuels. These developments demonstrate the viability of advanced biofuels to meet current and future environmental regulations and emissions reductions targets, delivering a more sustainable shipping industry.
The BFO used by CMA CGM across both vessels was supplied by leading biofuels company GoodFuels, and is the first ever HFO-equivalent biofuel. All GoodFuels sustainable marine fuels are virtually Sox free and deliver 80-90 percent well-to-propeller CO2 reduction versus fossil equivalents.
The announcement comes at a time when the industry is under increasing scrutiny to improve its sustainability and move towards decarbonization.
The trials were achieved through IKEA Transport & Logistics Services’ participation in the GoodShipping Program, the world’s first decarbonization initiative for cargo owners.
The GoodShipping Program works on the premise that, as all CO2 from shipping is emitted into the same atmosphere, the means of mitigating these emissions is equally impactful, regardless of which vessels adopt biofuels over traditional bunker fuels – or the amount of ‘drop in’ biofuel that is added to the fuel tank, as long as it offsets the CO2 costs of transporting participating shippers’ cargo.
This flexible approach provides far greater scope for immediate impact, while having the same net effect in helping to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Dirk Kronemeijer, CEO, The GoodShipping Program concluded, “The success of this test program with IKEA and CMA CGM builds further evidence of the important role that Bio-Fuel Oil will play in the marine fuel mix, and proves that initiatives already exist on the market for cargo owners to realize their decarbonization goals. The GoodShipping Program is committed to helping more cargo owners unlock the potential of this direct decarbonization option in the near future, as our sector continues to establish and embrace its wider carbon reduction efforts.”
This project was supported by the Incentive Scheme for Climate-Friendly Shipping, The Port of Rotterdam Authority’s program established to support innovative projects involving alternative fuels in sea-going shipping.
