IKEA, CMA CGM and GoodShipping Test Biofuels
IKEA Transport & Logistics Services, the CMA CGM Group and the GoodShipping Program have completed a biofuel test program on two ocean-going CMA CGM vessels.
The trials were conducted using GoodFuels' Bio-Fuel Oil, the latest one during the CMA CGM Alexander von Humboldt’s North Europe-Asia voyage in September and October 2019. This was preceded by the world premiere refuelling of a container ship with sustainable biofuel, when the CMA CGM White Shark took on the bunker during a call at the Port of Rotterdam in March 2019.
Under the trial, sustainable Bio-Fuel Oil was used in a blend with conventional fossil-based marine fuels to power the vessel on a major oceangoing route. The Bio-Fuel Oil was demonstrated to be technically compatible, and the companies say it demonstrates the viability of advanced biofuels. With scalability, bio-fuel oil effectively future-proofs requirements for shipowners and operators to comply with future regulations on carbon reduction by 2030 and 2050.
All GoodFuels sustainable marine fuels are virtually SOx free and deliver 80-90 percent well-to-propeller CO2 reduction versus fossil equivalents. They are functionally equivalent to petroleum-derived marine fuels, and no modification is required to the engine or the fuel infrastructure.
The fuels meet the most stringent sustainability criteria, based on the Roundtable of Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB.org) and verified by GoodFuels’ independent sustainability board. This sustainability board consists of leading NGOs and academics.
GoodFuels’ sustainable marine fuels are 100 percent based on waste and residues. In the trial, the bio-fuel oil consists of waste used cooking oil and forest residues - both sourced and processed in Europe. The industrial waste stream from food production is used cooking oil which, after processing, is unfit to use for human or animal consumption. The only viable usage for this waste product is for reprocessing into advanced biofuel.
Forest residues are industrial waste streams from paper and pulp production. GoodFuels exclusively sources the forest residues in its fuels from sustainable forests in Europe. Most wood waste streams are currently used to co-fire power plants, and upgrading this waste into advanced low carbon marine biofuels, replacing heavy fuel oil, is considered a more sustainable and economical use of the waste product.
The trials were achieved through IKEA Transport & Logistics Services’ participation in the GoodShipping Program, the world’s first decarbonization initiative for cargo owners. The program is the first sustainable shipping initiative in the world that offers companies – worldwide and of all sizes – the opportunity to make container shipments less polluting; by offering a way to change the fossil fuels with clean, climate-neutral and truly sustainable fuels. This is done in collaboration with GoodFuels. Another important partner of GoodShipping is DHL Global Forwarding which offers the GoodShipping Program to all its ocean freight customers, as part of DHL's Go Green portfolio.
The program works on the premise that, as all CO2 from shipping is emitted into the same atmosphere, the means of mitigating these emissions has equal impact, regardless of which vessels adopt biofuels over traditional bunker fuels, or the amount of “drop in” biofuel that is added to the fuel tank, as long as it offsets the CO2 costs of transporting participating shippers' cargo.
Elisabeth Munck af Rosenschöld, Head of Sustainability, IKEA Global Transport & Logistics Services, said: “We are pleased to conclude that this pilot has been successful and that it has been proven possible to use advanced Bio-Fuel Oil on oceangoing vessels. It is only through collaboration and partnerships between major players - including cargo owners, ship operators and solution providers - that we can achieve real change at fast pace. We need a diversified portfolio of solutions to achieve our ambitious emissions reduction targets – and marine biofuels are an important part of the puzzle going forward for our sector.”
Xavier Leclercq, Vice President – CMA Ships, CMA CGM Group, said: “As a world leader in shipping and logistics, we are resolutely committed to environmental protection and the energy transition. This world premiere partnership with the GoodShipping Program and IKEA is further proof of the CMA CGM Group’s commitment to improving the sustainability of the shipping industry, and of its pioneering role in the development of innovative and environmentally-friendly solutions. These landmark trials give the maritime sector a vital demonstration into the scalability, sustainability and technical compliance of marine bio-fuel oil, confirming CMA CGM’s leading role in the energy transition of the industry.”
Dirk Kronemeijer, CEO, The GoodShipping Program said: “The success of this test program with IKEA and CMA CGM builds further evidence of the important role that Bio-Fuel Oil will play in the marine fuel mix, and proves that initiatives already exist on the market for cargo owners to realize their decarbonization goals. The GoodShipping Program is committed to helping more cargo owners unlock the potential of this direct decarbonization option in the near future, as our sector continues to establish and embrace its wider carbon reduction efforts.”