Red Funnel trialling Green Biofuels’ fossil-free fuel on ro-pax ferries

Red Funnel is trialling Green Biofuels’ fossil-free fuel on its ro-pax ferries, which operate between Southampton and the Isle of Wight in the UK.

Green D+ fuel is a fossil-free, low-emission renewable diesel fuel that is made by adding a nanotechnology-patented performance additive to hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO). The HVO is produced from a variety of waste and residue materials, such as used cooking oil and waste fats from the food processing industry), as well as plant oils like palm and rapeseed oil.

“We are delighted to be working with Red Funnel and aim to help the company make the routes to and from the Isle of Wight one of the world’s cleanest in terms of emissions,” said Magnus Hammick, Green Biofuels COO. “We hope this marks the start of a new, long-term relationship between our two companies, at the start of what we see as a new era in fuel provision. Our fossil-free fuel, Green D+, burns cleaner than regular diesel, and we are sure that once the trials are complete, it will have demonstrated its value, and Red Funnel will help lead the charge towards cleaner fuels.”

Red Funnel will trial Green D+ biofuel and varying amounts of low-sulphur marine gas oil to power the ferries’ main engines and onboard generators. The aim is to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“The trial use of biofuels is one of a number of new initiatives Red Funnel is taking to significantly reduce its environmental footprint,” said Mark Slawson, Red Funnel’s fleet and technical director. “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 sulphur oxide and nitrogen oxide emissions.”