Oldendorff bulker trials biofuel from Australia to Vietnam

Edwine Oldendorff, a Handy bulk carrier owned by Germany-based Oldendorff Carriers, has completed a biofuel trial from Australia to Vietnam. The biofuel trial voyage was performed for the CBH Group, the largest agricultural co-operative in Western Australia.

The 38,600 dwt vessel loaded 30,000 tonnes of sustainably certified malting barley from the Albany Grain Terminal in Western Australia for discharge in Vietnam using biofuel, supplied by BP. The vessel was bunkered with an advanced biofuel blend, which is expected to result in 15% emissions avoided compared to conventional fossil fuels, according to the supplier.

Photo: Oldendorff Carriers

As explained, this trial of a 2nd-generation biofuel will help test the biofuel supply chain and also allow both CBH and Oldendorff Carriers to gain greater experience with the practical issues involving voyages powered by renewable energy blends. The emission reduction potential has been analyzed as part of Oldendorff Carriers’ research agreement with MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Jason Craig, Chief Marketing and Trading Officer of CBH, said that the co-operative is proud to be pioneering efforts, alongside global partners, to reduce its carbon footprint along the supply chain.

“Customers across the world are increasingly seeking to source sustainable products, including sustainable grain. It is our role, as Australia’s … grain exporter, to take the necessary steps to lower carbon emissions along our supply chain. Biofuel is one low-carbon option that could be part of the solution to reducing emissions in the shipping industry,” he said.

In 2020-21 CBH sold 1.2 million tonnes of sustainable certified grain and reduced Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions on a per ton basis by 38 percent.

“We are very pleased to be collaborating with industry leaders CBH to trial biofuel in our vessel Edwine Oldendorff. Collaboration is crucial for us all to learn and share information about the best paths in our efforts to decarbonize the supply chain,” Ben Harper, Managing Director at Oldendorff Carriers, Melbourne, commented.

In April last year, Oldendorff Carriers also teamed up with mining company BHP and biofuels pioneer GoodFuels to carry out the first marine biofuel trial involving an ocean-going vessel bunkered in Singapore. The 2020-built 81,290 dwt dry bulk carrier Kira Oldendorff was bunkered with “drop-in” advanced biofuel that is blended with conventional fossil fuels.