Holland America completes biofuel test on cruise ship

Carnival Corporation’s Holland America Line reports that it has completed the cruise industry’s first multiweek test of biofuels on board its 1,432-guest cruise ship Volendam. The 20-day test was conducted in partnership with GoodFuels, and Wärtsilä, a global leader in power and propulsion technologies and lifecycle solutions for the marine market. The assessment was completed September 7, in the Port of Rotterdam.

In the first five days of the test the ship used a mix of 30% biofuel and 70% marine gas oil (MGO) in one of its main auxiliary engines. For the final 15 days of testing, the ship used 100% biofuel. According to GoodFuels, there was a 78% decrease in lifecycle CO2 emissions during the final 15 days of trial compared to marine gas oil emissions.

The Dutch-flagged Volendam was selected for the test since it was located at the Port of Rotterdam, one of the global ports where GoodFuels operates the infrastructure necessary to provide biofuel waterside fueling services. There is no significant difference for the ship’s team members in handling regular fuel oil versus biofuel. The use of a “drop-in” biofuel such as the one tested on Volendam requires no shipboard refitting or special equipment.

The advanced biofuel used in the trial is derived from feedstocks that are certified as 100% waste or residue, with no land-use issues and no competition with food production or deforestation.

The Dutch-flagged Volendam was selected for the biofuel test since it was located at the Port of Rotterdam.