Posted on October 20, 2015
Wärtsilä Corporation, Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V., and GoodFuels Marine have cooperated to launch a sustainable marine biofuels program, the companies announced Wednesday in an emailed statement.
Netherlands-based GoodFuels Marine will reportedly lead the two year project, aiming to create “truly sustainable, scalable and affordable” marine biofuels.
“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, similar to the sustainable jet fuel market five years ago,” said GoodFuels Marine CEO Dirk Kronemeijer.
The project is also expected to involve testing various biofuels at Wärtsilä’s facility in Finland, before moving onto sea trials aboard selected ships owned by Netherlands-based Boskalis.
The hope is that the team will secure sustainable feedstock, receive industry certification, and work out plans for large-scale production.
“We strongly believe in the need for sustainable “drop in” marine biofuels 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,” said Boskalis COO Theo Baartmans.
Earlier this year, Ship & Bunker also reported that Japan-based IHI Corp had been working on using a strain of algae as biofuel.
