Stolt Tankers upbeat on biofuel trial results

Tanker operator Stolt Tankers, part of Stolt-Nielsen Limited, says initial results from a biofuel trial carried out by one of the company’s chemical tankers have been very positive.

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

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

During the crossing from Rotterdam, the Netherlands to Houston, US the key objective was to understand the impact of the biofuel on consumption, power and reliability in both engines and boilers.

The company said the equipment performed as expected and the use of the second-generation biofuel resulted in an 85-90% reduction in well-to-exhaust CO2 emissions when compared to traditional fuels.

“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% by 2050 compared to 2008 levels,” the tanker owner commented.

Lucas Vos, President Stolt Tankers said it was great to see the positive results of the biofuel trial.

“We are exploring several alternative fuels for our fleet as the industry moves towards a carbon-neutral future,” Vos pointed out.

The company plans to continue to investigate the viability of biofuels, considering availability and costs which are typically around 10% higher than existing fuels.