Sustainable biofuel for Boskalis dredgers
Dutch dredging major Royal Boskalis Westminster has taken delivery of its largest ever consignment of drop-in biofuel which will be used to power two trailing suction hopper dredgers on upcoming projects in northwestern Europe.
The use of biofuel will result in a CO2 reduction of approximately 90% for the 12,000 m3 capacity Willem van Oranje and approximately 45% for the 4,500 m3 capacity Strandway.
The delivery of some 1,000 m3 of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), a sustainable biofuel derived from used cooking oil, was in collaboration with Boskalis’ long term partner and fuel supplier, Goodfuels.
Boskalis’ own testing programme with GoodFuels and engine manufacturer Wartsila that began in 2015 has demonstrated that drop-in marine biofuels can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 90% compared to fossil fuels. In 2019, as part of the ‘Boskalis on Bio’ programme, the Willem van Oranje became the world’s first dredging vessel to operate on 100% biofuel oil. Since then, Boskalis has successfully used various biofuel blends as an alternative to fossil fuels on both dredging and offshore installation vessels as well as for dry earth moving equipment, resulting in considerable emissions reductions.
Through its agreement with GoodFuels, Boskalis enables clients to opt for biofuel powered vessels to reduce their carbon emissions on projects. In 2020, 80% of Boskalis’ project tenders in the Netherlands included sustainabilty measures, including options to use biofuels.
Willem van Oranje has recently been deployed for dredging works on the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link, an immersed tunnel crossing the 18km wide Fehmarn Belt in the Baltic Sea. The works are being undertaken under the auspices of Fehmarn Belt Contractors (FBC), a joint venture between Boskalis and fellow Dutch dredging contractor Van Oord.
