Holland America, in partnership with GoodFuels and Wartsila, conducted sustained tests for biofuels on its cruise ship MS Volendam. The biofuel tests were conducted for 20 days and were completed on September 7th. The Dutch flagged Volendam was used for the tests as it was docked at Rotterdam where GoodFuels had the necessary infrastructure to provide waterside biofuel fueling services. Another factor in favor of testing on this particular vessel was that the ship was housing refugees as a part of its long-term charter and was only using engines for the hotel load and not for propulsion.
This was the first ever long-term live test aboard a working cruise ship, whereas traditionally, such tests have been carried out at shoreside research facilities or on cargo vessels. During the first 5 days of testing, a blend of 30 percent biofuel and 70 percent marine gas oil was used to power one of the main auxiliary engines. In the remaining 15 days of testing, pure biofuel was used as fuel. GoodFuels reported a 78% fall in lifecycle CO2 emissions when biofuel was used in place of marine gas oil. The results have placed biofuel as a promising alternative fuel for cruise ships.
The biofuel used for the test was prepared from feedstock which was 100 percent waste or residue. This means that the production of this fuel required no new land-use issues, did not detract from agricultural food production and did not contribute to deforestation.
For the crew of the ship, there is no significant difference in handling biofuel vs. Marine gas oil, so the crew does not need additional training. In addition to this, the “drop-in” biofuel used in the test did not require any modifications such as shipboard refitting or special equipment for operation. The sustainability and low transition costs of switching to biofuel have made it the fuel of choice for Holland America.
The opinions expressed herein are the author’s and not necessarily those of News2Sea.