Harbour offers vegetable oil fuel to boat owners

A harbour is offering hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) to boat owners for the first time.

Falmouth Harbour has used the renewable alternative to marine diesel to power its fleet of workboats for a year and has now put it on sale at its fuel berth for leisure and commercial customers.

The harbour authority said HVO fuel, made from recycled materials like used cooking oil and farm waste, could reduce carbon emissions by 50% to 90% when compared with fossil fuel diesel.

The HVO fuel could be used by boat owners whose engines which are approved to the EN 15940 standard and who have checked with their manufacturer, the authority added.

Commercial operations manager Tristan Rowe said the harbour was one of the first in the UK to retail HVO to leisure and commercial boat owners.

He said: "We're helping establish the market for lower-carbon marine fuels, which gives customers a practical choice to reduce their environmental impact."

Rowe said HVO had could reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions compared with fossil diesel and offered benefits including cleaner combustion, improved storage stability, reduced risk of diesel bug and lower diesel odour.

Falmouth Harbour chief executive Miles Carden said: "Harbours have a vital role to play in supporting the transition to lower-carbon maritime operations.

"Whilst there is no single solution to decarbonisation, HVO provides a practical option for many existing vessels to reduce their environmental impact without major modifications or replacing engines."

He said the launch was part of the team's wider commitment to sustainable marine operations and the transition to lower-carbon technologies across the harbour.

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