IKEA, CMA CGM and The GoodShipping Program join forces to test sustainable marine bio-fuel oil

IKEA Transport & Logistics Services, CMA CGM, the GoodShipping Program and the Port of Rotterdam have today announced they will cooperate in a first of its kind partnership to test and scale the use of sustainable marine bio-fuel oil.

The test will commence with a landmark bunkering of the marine bio-fuel oil on a CMA CGM container vessel on March 19th, representing a major step towards the decarbonisation of ocean freight. The test is being facilitated by the GoodShipping Program, a sustainable initiative dedicated to decarbonising ocean freight, and is the latest step in the scaling of low carbon marine bio-fuel oils for wider commercial use within the maritime industry.

The sustainable marine bio-fuel oil has been developed by GoodFuels, the leading provider of sustainable marine biofuels to the global commercial shipping fleet, after undergoing three years of intensive testing with marine engine manufacturers.

The second generation bio-fuel oil is completely derived from forest residues and waste oil products, expected to deliver 80-90% well-to-propeller CO2 reduction versus fossil equivalents, and virtually eliminates sulphur oxide (SOx) emissions - all without any requirement for engine modifications.

Through this collaboration, IKEA Transport & Logistics Services, CMA CGM and the GoodShipping Program - with the support of the Port of Rotterdam - aim to demonstrate the scalability, sustainability and technical compliance of sustainable marine bio-fuel oil, and thereby spur the wider continued development of realistic options to curb greenhouse gas and sulphur oxide emissions from shipping.

This announcement comes at a time when the shipping sector is at a crossroads, with owners and operators required to switch to low sulphur fuels by 2020. The industry also faces impending International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reduction requirements, including an objective to reduce average carbon intensity from shipping - the amount of carbon emitted for each unit of transport - by at least 40% by 2030, and 70% by 2050.

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