Japanese shipping firm Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) on Monday (14 December) said it successfully completed a sea trial of its tugboat 13 Tamashio.
With cooperation of the Nagoya Port Authority, the vessel was bunkered with a next-generation renewable biodiesel fuel developed by Euglena Co.
MOL explained tugboats play vital roles in the maritime industry, assisting vessels calling in and out of ports, berthing and unberthing, and operation of floating structures. The 13 Tamashio is owned and operated by MOL Group company Green Kaiji Kaisha, Ltd.
The biodiesel fuel used in the test was transported from Euglena’s plant for producing bio jet/diesel fuels in Yokohama and bunkered onto the 13 Tamashio at the Nagoya Port Garden Pier.
Euglena biodiesel fuel is a next-generation renewable fuel produced with used cooking oil and Euglena- a type of algae similar to brown seaweed and sea tangle. Marine diesel engines will be able to run on this fuel without making any modifications, it said.
Euglena biodiesel fuel is a low-environmental impact fuel, which conforms to SOx regulations because unlike conventional heavy fuel oil, it contains no sulfur, a major source of air pollution.
It also produces significantly lower levels of greenhouse gases (GHGs) during combustion compared to fossil-derived fuels.
MOL is working together with Euglena Co to reduce the maritime industry’s environmental impact and realize a sustainable global society.
Photo credit: Mitsui O.S.K. Lines
Published: 17 December, 2020
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