Promising results in Holland America Line's long-term biofuel test

GoodFuels is a leading producer and supplier of sustainable biofuels while Wärtsilä is a global leader in power and propulsion technologies.

78% drop in lifecycle CO2 emissions when using 100% biofuel

The test ran 20 days and was completed Sept. 7. In the first five days the ship used a mix of 30% biofuel and 70% marine gas oil in one of its main auxiliary engines. For the final 15 days of testing, the ship used 100% biofuel. According to GoodFuels, there was a 78% decrease in lifecycle CO2 emissions during the final 15 days of trial compared to MGO emissions.

'We are very encouraged by the results,' Holland America President Gus Antorcha said.

No special equipment needed

Netherlands-flagged Volendam was selected for the test since it was located at the Port of Rotterdam, one of the places where GoodFuels operates the infrastructure necessary to provide biofuel waterside fueling services.

There is no significant difference for the crew when it comes to handling biofuel compared to regular fuel oil. The use of a 'drop-in' biofuel such as the one tested on Volendam requires no shipboard refitting or special equipment.

From 100% certified waste feedstocks

The advanced biofuel is derived from feedstocks that are certified as 100% waste or residue, with no land-use issues and no competition with food production or deforestation.

'Marine biofuel is already the biggest low carbon marine fuel in the world and we expect usage to rise sharply to 10% of total volume by 2030,' said Dirk Kronemeijer, CEO and founder of GoodFuels.

'Our extensive work in testing alternative marine fuels is a central part of our efforts to shape viable decarbonization options for our customers,' said Ricardo Opperman, managing director of Wärtsilä North America. 'We are continuously developing our engine technology to accept and retain operational and environmental efficiency levels with various future fuels, including biofuels. These sea trials with 100% biofuel will be especially important — for Carnival Corporation, for Goodfuels, for Wärtsilä and for the industry as a whole.'

Supporting corporate sustainability objectives

Holland America Line is the first Carnival Corp. brand to run a long-term 100% biofuel shipboard test. AIDA Cruises also partnered with Goodfuels in July to run a blended biofuel test aboard AIDAprima in Rotterdam. While biofuels have been tested on large diesel engines at shoreside research facilities and on a few cargo ships, these represented the first live tests on working cruise ships.

The biofuel tests support Carnival Corp.'s overall environmental mission, goals and aspirations. These include achieving a 40% reduction in carbon per available lower berth day by 2030; expanding its alternative fuels strategy across its LNG program and battery, fuel cell and biofuel capabilities; delivering a 50% reduction in absolute air emissions of particulate matter by 2030; and the aspiration to achieve net carbon neutral operations by 2050.

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