New York takes first step in ferry fleet renewable diesel overhaul

As part of a plan to slash greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the New York City ferry service, the state’s Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) has awarded the first tender to purchase renewable diesel for its ferries.

As disclosed, the tender is part of a plan announced in October last year to transition the Staten Island Ferry service unit as well as other ships to renewable diesel.

According to DCAS, together with the NYC Department of Transportation (NYC DOT), the Department of Environmental Protection and NYC Parks, the government branch has already begun testing the use of this clean energy source on the Marchi Staten Island Ferry boat as a direct replacement to the ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) that was previously used.

It is projected that the barge contract could speed up the effort to transition to long-term and large-scale use of renewable diesel for all city vessels.

“We have already moved all our heavy-duty and off-road vehicles to renewable diesel, making us the first major East Coast city to adopt green technology on such a large scale. As announced by the City in October 2024, step two is to move NYC’s ferries and vessels to this more environmentally friendly fuel,” DCAS Deputy Commissioner and NYC Chief Fleet Officer Keith Kerman commented.

​Renewable diesel (R99) is a biofuel that serves as a drop-in replacement for petroleum diesel, requiring no engine modifications. Its adoption has seen an uptick across the United States, spurred by environmental policies and initiatives aimed at cutting harmful pollutant emissions.

New York City has so far taken numerous steps in an endeavor to achieve zero-emission maritime transportation.

As part of the switch to renewable diesel, for instance, the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and NYC ferry revealed in late 2024 that they would also begin the process of upgrading 13 of the system’s ‘largest’ vessels to meet the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Tier 4 emission standards.

It is understood that these conversions could cut pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) by up to 65%, per NYC DOT’s data.

Across the country, namely on the West Coast, DCAS highlighted that California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard has attracted numerous investments in the production of the alternative fuel.

Moreover, two large refineries in the Golden State—P66 Rodeo and the Martinez renewables project refinery, a joint venture (JV) between Finnish producer of sustainable fuels Neste and US petroleum company Marathon—have reportedly switched from making petroleum to renewable diesel.

Circling back to New York, beyond the application of renewable diesel as a path toward decarbonization, the city’s government unveiled in late December 2024 a new bill that called for a feasibility study of zero-emission port operations by 2040.

As per environmental organization Pacific Environment, the feasibility study would, among other efforts, include assessing the preparedness of the city’s ports to transition to zero-emission operations, identifying whether the initiative can be fully achieved by 2040, and exploring potential investments needed to accomplish this goal.