Stolt Tankers to trial new biofuel on transatlantic route

Stolt Tankers has partnered with Amsterdam-based GoodFuels to trial the use of a marine biofuel produced from sustainable and certified feedstocks.

The trial will take place on board the 37,000DWT chemical tanker Stolt Inspiration as it sails from Rotterdam to Houston, Texas.

Stolt said the trial is designed to assess the viability of the future use of biofuels in both engines and boilers, and will test the fuel’s impact on consumption, power, and reliability. Bunkering for the trial was completed at the end of last week at the Port of Rotterdam, where Stolt Inspiration received the biofuel derived from feedstocks such as used cooking oil, tallow, and waste animal fats.

The company added that the fuel has the potential to deliver a well-to-exhaust CO2 reduction of between 80 and 90 per cent compared to fossil fuel equivalents.

Stolt claimed the biofuel used is functionally equal to petroleum-derived marine fuels, and no modifications to the engine or the fuel infrastructure were required.