Synthetic diesel tug
Dutch company Royal Boskalis says that the tug ‘Smit Elbe’, which is based in the port of Rotterdam, has become the first tug in the Netherlands to be fuelled with Shell GTL.
GTL, which stands for gas-to-liquids, is a liquid fuel made from natural gas converted into synthetic diesel. GTL is claimed to produce far lower emissions of NOx, SOx, particulates and black smoke than regular diesel.
The Smit Elbe will use GTL for a period of about six months in order to determine whether the fuel is able to effect a sizeable reduction in emissions without the need for modifications to the engines.
On-board emission measurements will be carried out at regular intervals. This pilot project will provide possibilities for a more general emissions reduction policy for Rotterdam.
Boskalis said it is part of the company’s general energy and carbon reduction activities in the Netherlands.
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