ESL Shipping becomes 1st shipping company to use Neste’s coprocessed marine biofuel

Photo: ESL Shipping

Finnish shipping company ESL Shipping will become the world’s first shipping company to start utilizing new low-emission Neste Marine™ 0.1 Co-processed marine fuel in its vessels in Finland and Sweden. The ISCC PLUS-certified marine biofuel enables up to 80 percent reduced greenhouse gas emissions over the lifecycle compared to fossil fuels without compromising the product quality and performance.

ESL Shipping is a leading carrier of dry-bulk cargoes in the Nordic and Baltic regions. Constantly in search of sustainable-shipping solutions, ESL Shipping strives to minimize the adverse environmental impacts of its fleet.

“The coprocessed marine fuel is something we have been waiting for a long time,” said Mikki Koskinen, managing director of ESL Shipping. “ESL Shipping is committed to leading the way in reducing greenhouse gas emissions of the maritime industry, and we are now fortunate to be able to use this low-emission alternative without having to do any fleet modifications. We believe this is the right thing to do, and I’m convinced we in the Nordics are well-positioned to show the way for the global maritime industry.”

Sveta Ukkonen, head of marine fuels and services at Neste, added, “Supporting the shipping industry towards carbon neutrality requires partnerships, all available solutions and further innovations. We are proud of the solutions we have provided to the global aviation and road transport sectors to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and it is a big step for Neste to be able to offer similar solutions to maritime transport too. After all, as 90 percent of world trade and 13 percent of global transport emissions are the result of the shipping industry, it needs lower-emission solutions that are available already today.”

Neste Marine 0.1 Co-processed marine fuel is currently in the piloting phase and is produced at Neste’s refinery in Porvoo, Finland, where part of the fossil raw materials have been replaced with renewable raw materials in the conventional refining process. The drop-in fuel can be taken in use without any fleet modifications as it has a similar composition to conventional bunker fuels.

The coprocessed marine biofuel is ISO 8217-compliant with consistent refined quality. The sustainability characteristics of the coprocessed marine biofuel are certified with International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC PLUS) with a mass-balance approach.