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‘We will certainly take next steps towards further reducing emissions in the future’
IN ITS DAILY OPERATIONS, THE DUTCH MARITIME PILOTS’ ORGANISATION PAYS A LOT OF ATTENTION TO CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY. A KEY ELEMENT IN THIS IS THE STRUCTURAL REDUCTION OF CO2 EMISSIONS BY ITS OWN FLEET. SINCE 2019, ALL VESSELS IN THE PILOT REGION ROTTERDAM-RIJNMOND HAVE THEREFORE BEEN RUNNING ON SECOND-GENERATION BIOFUELS, MADE FROM MATERIALS SUCH AS WOOD CHIPS AND PAPER PULP.
The large pilot vessel off the coast, but also all tenders and launches used to shuttle pilots back and forth in the Rotterdam-Rijnmond region now run on HVO B30, a diesel fuel which contains 30 percent biofuel. Compared to traditional diesel, CO2 emissions are reduced by 25 per- cent. Supplier Goodfuels guarantees that second-generation biofuel is used that is made from residual flows such as wood chips, paper pulp and waste oil; no forests are cut down for HVO B30 and only non-food plant sources are processed. Verification by renowned, independent quality marks such as ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) and RSB (Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials) guarantees that this is actually the case. This objectively addresses an important point of discussion about the added value of biofuel.
GREAT CONSUMPTION, GREAT EFFECT
For all four pilot regions combined, the ships of the Dutch Maritime Pilots’ Organisation bunkered approximately 11.3 million litres of fuel in 2018; the consumption of this accounts for nearly 95 percent of
the organisation’s CO2 emissions. Transitioning to HVO B30 in Rotter- dam-Rijnmond consequently has quite an impact. Opting for the new fuel has resulted in a 10-percent reduction in CO2 emissions across the entire organisation. “In daily practice, HVO B30 has no additional tech- nical implications for the functioning of the ship’s engines,” states Fleet Manager Tjeerd de Vos of the supporting company Nederlands Loods- wezen BV. “Of course, we have extensively tested this beforehand.”
SMALL AND LARGE MEASURES
Besides switching to a different type of diesel, the Dutch Maritime Pilots’ Organisation is working on numerous other small and large measures to reduce the fuel consumption - and thus the CO2 emissions - of its fleet as well. Crews are made more aware of their own sailing behaviour, for example, and resources are planned and deployed more economically. A tender or swath does not always need to approach a
ship that requires pilotage at full speed. And not every trip requires a full tank; after all, a lighter ship consumes less fuel.
The latter is also the idea behind the launch of a first, less heavy type of tender in early 2020. De Vos: “This new ship weighs 42 tonnes instead of 54 tonnes and can therefore sail at the same speed as
the current tenders using less fuel. A pre-condition regarding the construction is that the weight reduction does not diminish operational performance.”
LOOKING FOR THE FUEL OF THE FUTURE
“We will certainly take next steps towards further reducing emissions in the future,” De Vos looks ahead. This could for example be achieved by switching to HVO B50, which contains 50 percent biofuel. However, the Fleet Manager and his team are considering alternative sources as well. “We have looked into LNG, for example, but this has not proved a feasible solution. For technical reasons, but also because it is a long- term ambition to eliminate the use of fossil fuels.” Green hydrogen may hold more potential. “We are just in an exploratory phase right now and will be looking for partners in the near future. In this way, we hope to gain further insight into the potential opportunities that green hydrogen may offer us for the future.”
COMPREHENSIVE SUSTAINABILITY POLICY
Fuel choice and fuel reduction is just one aspect of the Dutch Maritime Pilots’ Organisation’s broad policy regarding corpo- rate social responsibility. Profit (the economic performance), People (the social side) and Planet (the ecological precondi- tions) are treated with equal importance. Extensive informa- tion is available on the website of Loodswezen (only in Dutch).
LEADING IN INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS
With its approach to CO2 reduction, the Dutch Maritime Pilots’ Organisation is a frontrunner in relation to IMO-wide agreements aimed at reducing CO2 emitted by international shipping by 40 percent in 2030 (compared to 2008) and
50 percent in 2050.
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