Oldendorff Carriers, the family-owned bulker owner and operator, is trialling the use of biofuels on a voyage from Australia to Vietnam.
The trial is being performed on the 38,617dwt handysize Edwine Oldendorff for the CBH Group, the largest agricultural co-operative in Western Australia.
The 2016-built vessel loaded 30,000 tonnes of malting barley from the Albany Grain Terminal in Western Australia on 10 January 2022 and is expected to reach Vietnam on 20 January.
The biofuel blend, which is expected to result in 15 per cent emissions avoided compared to conventional fossil fuels, has been supplied by energy major BP.
This trial of a second-generation biofuel will help to test the supply chain while also providing greater experience with the practical issues involving voyages powered by renewable energy blends.
The emission reduction potential has been analysed as part of Oldendorff’s research agreement with US-based MIT.
“We are very pleased to be collaborating with industry leaders CBH to trial biofuel in our vessel,” said Ben Harper, managing director for the company in Melbourne. “Collaboration is crucial for us all to learn and share information about the best paths in our efforts to decarbonise the supply chain.”
This is the second biofuels trial carried out by Oldendorff. Last year, one of the company’s kamsarmaxes bunkered in Singapore on a voyage to Europe for mining giant BHP.
