Australian oil and gas company, Viva Energy undertook marine biofuel trials when Royal Caribbean’s ‘Celebrity Edge’ sailed from Sydney, NSW on 5th April.
The initiative marks the first commercial cruise ship in Australia to undertake such trials.
This initiative aimed to evaluate the performance and carbon reduction benefits of marine biofuel, designated B20, which consists of 80% marine distillates and 20% locally sourced B100, primarily derived from Australian used cooking oil.
It also provided an opportunity to assess the low-carbon fuel’s performance, supported by Viva Energy’s extended marine supply chain in Port Jackson.
This supply chain, utilised by barges operated in collaboration with Polaris Marine, demonstrated the operational feasibility of delivering sustainable fuels to the maritime industry.
“We are very pleased to conduct this trial with Royal Caribbean Group from our Sydney Harbour operations, a first-of-its-kind operation to deliver marine biofuel to a cruise ship in Australia,” said Richard Xin, Viva Energy’s General Manager Specialities, Marine & Defence.
“Viva Energy is committed to supporting our customers in reducing their carbon footprint by introducing new fuels and innovative supply chains. While the supply of biofuel is not new internationally, this trial is a crucial step towards establishing lower carbon marine fuels in Australia,” he said.
The B100 component of the biofuel was International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC+) certified, which guarantees the product’s provenance, ensuring customers can trace and verify its carbon emission credentials. The B100 was manufactured locally by Just Biodiesel.
Viva Energy claimed to be Australia’s leading fuel supplier to the marine industry and supports the cruise sector with both conventional and sustainable fuels.
