Stolt Tankers bunkers full inland tanker fleet with vegetable oil

The inland tanker shipping arm of London-headquartered Stolt-Nielsen has committed to using an 80/20 blend of diesel and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), respectively, to run its fleet in December.

HVO, known as renewable diesel, in Stolt’s chosen HVO20 fuel blend, is expected to save the Stolt-Nielsen Inland Tanker Service (SNITS) fleet some 18% of its carbon emissions in December, according to a post from the company on social media site, LinkedIn.

"In December, we will bunker all ships in our Stolt-Nielsen Inland Tanker Service fleet – more than 30 in total – with renewable fuel. The fuel, HVO20, is an 80/20 blend of hydrotreated vegetable oil, which is expected to reduce carbon emissions from the SNITS fleet by around 18% in December, compared with the ultra-low sulphur diesel fuel that is traditionally used," the company said. 

SNITS called its decision "the latest in a series of sustainability milestones" for its fleet. In 2023, SCR exhaust aftergas treatment systems were installed on Stolt Rhine and Stolt Merwede to combat nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide emissions. At the same time, SNITS became a Green Award incentive provider, this is a quality assessment certification scheme that awards ships that exceed industry standards in terms of safety, quality and environmental performance. In August 2024, Stolt Main bunkered 100% renewable diesel (HVO100) fuel for the first time, and five other vessels moved to renewable biofuels in 2024, according to the company.

SNITS general manager Maickel Uijtewaal said, “We are delighted to be undertaking this initiative to bunker renewable fuel on all our vessels this month. It underlines our commitment to exploring and implementing energy-efficiency measures where possible and we hope it inspires our customers and others in the industry to do the same."