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Svitzer offers carbon-neutral towage to 250 shipowners
Shipowners and operators can cut their scope 3 carbon emissions from towage services using Svitzer’s tugs in the UK after an agreement was signed with a procurement platform provider
Under this collaboration, AP Moller-Maersk subsidiary Svitzer’s EcoTow towage services will be available for more than 250 shipowners and operators using the PortsDirect platform.
Svitzer offers carbon-neutral EcoTow for escorting and manoeuvring ships into and out of terminals in London and Medway, in southeast England, with its tugs powered by sustainably sourced marine biofuels.
Up to 10 tugs working in the Thames Estuary and Medway River run on sustainable second-generation biofuels derived from hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO).
PortsDirect’s customers will be able to lower their scope 3 emissions by selecting EcoTow which will reduce shipping companies’ carbon footprints and improve the sustainability of their supply chains.
Svitzer will partner with an independent auditor to enable the tug owner to provide PortsDirect customers with a CO2 savings certificate compliant with regulatory authorities.
HVO is a sustainable second-generation biofuel produced by using waste material such as used cooking oil as feedstocks, as certified by the International Ship Security Certificate or the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials.
The biofuel reduces carbon emissions by 100% on a tank-to-wake basis and 90% on a well-to-wake basis compared with marine diesel.
Svitzer head of EcoTow Sven Lumber said its introduction in London and Medway has proven “the shipping industry is looking for solutions to help it make decarbonisation progress in the near term.”
He expects this carbon-neutral towage service to be “an obvious fit to offer to PortsDirect’s customers.”
Mr Lumber said further collaborations “will reduce the environmental impact of towage and other services in the port ecosystem.”
PortsDirect’s services include providing discounted rate agreements for port services such as towage, launches and pilotage.
“Our customers recognise the importance of reducing their CO2 emissions and supporting the rest of the industry in meeting shipping’s decarbonisation pathway and targets,” said PortsDirect managing director Kenny Bjergstad.
“The entire supply chain is under scrutiny for where efficiency gains can be made and our partnership with Svitzer provides our customers with the opportunity to address and further improve their scope 3 emissions within the port environment, improving their sustainability, but also their competitiveness in the eyes of counterparties.”
PortsDirect manages the administration of service agreements, minimising the time and hassle of negotiating separate contracts with individual suppliers.
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