Dutch maritime logistics company VT Group (Verenigde Tankrederij BV) has joined forces with FinCo Group to trial 100% Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME) on an inland vessel.
Over the past nine months, a pilot with 100% FAME has been carried out on VT Group’s MTS Vlissingen.
For the pilot, VT Group, in consultation with FinCo, adjusted the conditioning of the fuel supply system on the barge. FinCo then supplied the required 100% FAME, which was partly purchased from Argent Energy.
The trial period is said to have resulted in ‘a lot of useful data’, with the parties gaining technical knowledge about the operational use of this product under various circumstances. Accordingly, VT Group and FinCo Group intend to continue the cooperation.
‘We are satisfied,’ said Claudia Beumer, Global Account Manager VT Group. ‘Even in this pilot set-up on the MTS Vlissingen, no technically unsolvable situations have occurred. ‘FAME is a beautiful biodiesel that, with minimal technical adjustments, can be used directly in inland shipping. VT now wants to structurally use FAME as biodiesel and work towards greening the VT fleet, together with FinCo.’
Alex van der Made, Manager Supply FinCo Group, added: ‘As an independent supplier of a broad portfolio of (bio)fuels, FinCo is as close as possible to its most important customers. In recent years, with our infrastructure and experience with sustainable energy carriers, we have created a unique market position to supply inland shipping with sustainable fuels.
‘We look forward to supporting VT Group in achieving their sustainability goals in the future.’
Going forward, VT Group is seeking to convert the MTS Vorstenbosch, the largest inland bunker vessel in the world, to FAME. After that, the company says the other ships in its fleet can also switch to biodiesel. These vessels will start with a lower blend, where a CO2 reduction can be achieved immediately without the necessary adjustments. In the coming years, VT Group says the ships will be made technically ready one by one in order to make the transition to 100% FAME
