Global dry bulk major, Oldendorff Carriers, has began a bulker-biofuel trial in a Newcastlemax on a Brazil-Asia voyage.
Working hand-in-hand with Brazilian miner Vale, the iron-ore carrying Hinrich Oldendorff (209,113 deadweigth; 2016 built) took biofuel in Singapore on October 16 for a ballast-voyage to Brazil. the ship then loaded Vale’s iron ore on November 28th at Guaiba Island Terminal. The ship will consume the blended biofuel on the laden leg of the voyage.
The B24 biofuel on board is a blend of about 24% used cooking oil of vegetable origin (286 metric tonnes) and the balance is fuel oil. The product supplied is both European Union Renewable Energy Directive (EU RED) compliant and certified by International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC). The expected well-to-wake CO2 equivalent savings is around 18% or 784 metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent and will contribute to Vale’s Scope 3 emission reduction.
Oldendorff Carriers has previously performed biofuel trials on smaller vessels and for shorter voyages, but this will be Oldendorff’s first full voyage consuming biofuel on a Newcastlemax. Patrick Hutchins, CEO of Oldendorff Carriers, commented “We are delighted that Vale has chosen Oldendorff Carriers for their first biofuel voyage. We look forward to investigating further opportunities together with Vale to advance the shipping and mining industries progress in achieving sustainability goals.”
Oldendorff Carriers is a 102-year-old family-owned shipping company typically operating a fleet of around 700 bulk carriers. The company is represented by 21 offices around the world including 11 bulk transshipment projects employing a workforce of over 4,500 people from 60 countries.