Boskalis' global fleet will quicker convert to drop-in marine biofuels

Dredging company Boskalis announced their collaboration with GoodFuels and Wärtsilä in a two-year pilot program to accelerate the development of truly sustainable, scalable and affordable marine bio-fuels.

Boskalis joined the Sustainable marine fuel programme as a partner in a consortium with Dutch fuel company GoodFuels and Finnish heavy engine producer Wärtsilä.

The programme will develop biofuels that perform similar to petroleum-derived fuels and that can be 'dropped in' to existing infrastructure on board vessels.

Emission reductions
The consortium believes that these bio-fuels will play a viable role in reducing emissions that no other fuel can currently achieve, without a capital-intensive fleet renewal or retrofitting.

The consortium will test several next generation bio-fuels at the Wärtsilä laboratory in Vaasa, Finland before sea trials are carried out on various vessels within Boskalis’ global fleet.

Study on global scaling
The pilot’s focus will be on delivering and analyzing a sustainable feedstock, 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, biofuel companies and other industry stakeholders.

The aim will be to identify tangible opportunities for scaling supply to the world’s commercial shipping fleet.

Special advisory board
GoodFuels Marine, which has been developed by a team boasting a successful track record in commercializing sustainable bio-fuels for the aviation industry, has also created a special advisory board consisting of leading NGOs and academics.

This is to ensure that its products are 100 percent sustainable, and that the company bases itself on the leading Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) standard and principles.

This news item was originally published on the websites of Boskalis, Wärtsilä and GoodFuels.

More information
Boskalis
Papendrecht, the Netherlands
+31 78 696 90 00
www.boskalis.com

GoodFuels,
Amsterdam, the Netherlands
+3185 800 02 38
www.goodfuels.com

Wärtsilä Corporation
Helsinki, Finland
+358 10 709 0000
www.wartisla.com