Red Funnel trialing renewable diesel blends in ferry operations
04 May 2018
UK-based ferry operator Red Funnel is trialing the use of renewable diesel blends on its ro-pax (roll on/roll off passenger) fleet of ships which operate between Southampton and the Isle of Wight. The aim is to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The cross-Solent (the strait that separates the Isle of Wight from the mainland of England) ferry company has teamed up with Green Biofuels, to trial Green D+ biofuel with varying amounts of low-sulfur Marine Gas Oil, to power the main engines and on-board generators.
Green D+ fuel is formulated by Green Biofuels by using a patented performance additive based on cerium oxide with HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) renewable diesel. The HVO is produced by Neste in Europe from a variety of waste and residue materials (i.e. used cooking oil and waste fats from the food processing industry) as well as plant oils (such as Palm Oil and Rapeseed Oil). The waste oil is recycled back into fuel, eliminating the dangers of inefficient and often dangerous disposal or its re-use in the food chain.
The trial use of biofuels is one of a number of new initiatives Red Funnel is taking to significantly reduce its environmental footprint. Unlike other alternative energy sources, switching to biofuel incurs no major infrastructure changes and we are confident that the trial will deliver a reduction in SOx and NOx emissions.
—Mark Slawson, Red Funnel’s Fleet and Technical Director
We should ask Red Funnel and Neste not to support climate and forest wrecking palm oil.
Per Wikipedia-
Environmental and social issues:
Palm oil
Neste uses 1–2% of the world's palm oil production. In 2015, 31% of renewable raw materials used by Neste consisted of crude palm oil.[24] Since 2013, Neste uses only certified palm oil.[25] In November 2013, Neste became the world's first company to be awarded an RSPO-RED Supply Chain certificate under the RSPO's new, more demanding certification system.[26] All palm oil used by the company is certified in accordance with the ISCC, RSPO, or RSPO-RED systems.[27] In April 2013, Neste began a programme of close cooperation with The Forest Trust (TFT), a non-profit organisation focused on preventing deforestation.[28]
The use of any palm oil as a feedstock has been protested by Greenpeace.[29] Neste (among others) buys palm oil from IOI Group, company allegedly responsible for illegal deforestation.[30] Neste has been a target of sustained attacks by Greenpeace, including publicity campaigns[31] where in January 2011, Neste won the less flattering Public Eye Awards, in Davos, Switzerland[32] and a parody webpage, which Neste attempted to shut down.[33][34] WIPO rejected the trademark-based complaint, since page is noncommercial, gives no economical benefit, is not misleading and the companies have to accept critics as part of the freedom of speech.[35]
From July to October 2015 increased palm oil demand in Indonesia burned two million hectares of forest and peatland to fires. in October 2015 peatland carbon emissions from the fires surpassed the average daily emissions of the entire US economy. Every year tens of thousands die prematurely from respiratory illness caused by smoke from annual forest and peatland fires.[36]
Posted by: Nickmlittlejohn | 07 May 2018 at 12:20 PM