Norden enters into B100 marine biofuel arrangement with BHP

Photo: Norden

Norden announced Sept. 16 that it and leading global resources company BHP have entered into a lower CO2-emission biofuel arrangement for approximately 1,000 metric tons of 100 percent biofuel (B100) to be used on a voyage from Hay Point, Australia, to Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on the Capesize vessel Nord Steel.

This will be the largest quantity of biofuel used on a single voyage by Norden, anticipated to reduce a total of 2,500 tons of CO2 emissions compared to an equivalent voyage using conventional fossil maritime fuel—equivalent to removing 543 fossil-fueled vehicles off the roads for a year.

“Since our first biofuel trial in 2021, BHP has introduced biofuel blends into the fuel mix for selected voyages on our major shipping routes,” said Sarah Greenough, BHP’s head of maritime.

“We are delighted to work with like-minded partners like Norden to consume biofuel as a contribution towards decarbonizing supply-chain emissions,” Greenough added.

Norden CEO Jan Rindbo said, “BHP is taking a leading role in helping to accelerate the decarbonization of shipping, so we are immensely proud of the trust they have put in us, supporting them in their efforts to see lower supply-chain emissions. Biofuels are an integral part of our ambition to decarbonize our customers’ supply chains, as it can be applied directly onto our 500-plus operated vessels without any engine modifications, while delivering instant reductions to the benefit of our customers.”

In 2018, Norden became the first shipping company to perform a commercial shipment using B100.

Since then, Norden has pioneered the use of biofuels with its latest investment in bio-oil scale-up producer Mash Makes and with the development of the Norden book-and-claim initiative, connecting emission reductions made by Norden with customers that, due to trading routes or other constraints, are not able to bunker low-carbon fuels.