Claiming up to an 80% reduction in greenhouse gases (GHGs) over the fuel’s lifecycle, Neste is partnering with Nordic Marine Oil to bring the fuel to market in Denmark
Finnish-listed firm Neste said the lower-GHG fuel is “coprocessed”, bringing together “renewable raw materials” and fossil fuel in a conventional refining process.
Although the company did not discuss the precise makeup of the fuel, a statement cited Neste’s use of refined waste, “residues and innovative raw materials” and said the company is “the world’s leading producer of sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel”.
Neste said the fuel is compliant with international standards and marketed as a ’drop-in’ fuel, meaning vessels running on liquid hydrocarbons would not need to make modifications to use the fuel.
“The drop-in fuel can be taken in use without any fleet modifications as it has a similar composition to conventional bunker fuels. The coprocessed marine fuel is ISO 8217 compliant with consistent refined quality. The sustainability characteristics of the coprocessed marine fuel are certified with International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC PLUS) with a mass balance approach,” Neste’s statement said.
“Based on the experiences gathered with Nordic Marine Oil, we will be expanding the availability of the product. The coprocessed marine fuel is a strategic step for us to reduce the dependency on fossil resources by replacing crude oil-based raw materials partly with renewable raw materials,” Neste head of marine fuels and services Sveta Ukkonen said.
According to the company, the marine fuel enables up to 80% GHG emissions reduction over the lifecycle compared with fossil fuels.
Neste said the ISCC PLUS certificate does not cover GHG verification in the pilot phase of the fuel’s distribution and that the method used to calculate lifecycle emissions and emissions reduction is guided by EU Renewable Energy Directive II.
Neste Marine’s 0.1% coprocessed marine fuel is produced at Neste’s refinery in Porvoo, Finland, and will be delivered to market via Nordic Marine Oil’s storage tanks and bunker barges, which are located in ports across Denmark.
Nordic Marine Oil is a specialist supplier of bunker fuel and lubricants to the maritime market. The Nordic Marine Oil-Neste distribution scheme is set to make the new marine fuel available in Danish ports from May 2022.
