Norden performs its 1st biofuel voyage out of US

Photo: Norden

Norden has performed its first-ever biofuel voyage out of the U.S. in collaboration with its customer, Albioma—an independent renewable energy producer—marking a continuation of Norden’s strategic ambitions within biofuels.

The ISCC EU-certified B24 biofuel blend was bunkered in the port of Houston, Texas, prior to loading 30,000 metric tons of wood pellets in Mobile, Alabama. 

The biofuel was used on a voyage to the island of Réunion, a department of France situated in the Indian Ocean, where the wood pellets were discharged on behalf of Norden’s customer, Albioma.

Norden said living up to its high standards in the sourcing of high-quality biofuels is “today limited to a few locations across the world.”

With a new biofuel supplier in place, Norden said it can now provide customers trading out of the U.S. with biofuel, supporting the company’s ambition to lower its customers’ supply-chain emissions. 

“Until now, we have not been able to source biofuel in the U.S., living up to Norden’s high standards,” said Mikkel Marconi, Norden’s commercial biofuel lead.

“With a new bunker collaboration, we are now able to further accelerate our ambition to lower our customers’ supply-chain emissions in the here and now in a new region,” Marconi added. “Thanks to Albioma for entrusting us with the responsibility to lower their emissions.”

According to Norden, it has been a frontrunner in the utilization of biofuels to lower supply-chain emissions for its customers since 2018, when it performed what the company said is “the first-ever commercial 100 percent biofuel voyage.”

Since then, Norden said its investments in biofuels have grown substantially, catering to growing customer demands and decarbonization regulations.  

“We are pleased to perform yet another biofuel voyage for a customer looking to decarbonize their supply chains,” said Henrik Røjel, Norden’s head of decarbonization and climate solutions.

“During recent years, we have seen an increasing demand from customers to use biofuel, validating our many years of work and strategic investments in biofuel as a way to instantly reduce emissions in the here and now,” Røjel said.

In 2023, Norden acquired a minority stake in the biofuel scale-up Mash Makes, strengthening its future supply of renewable fuels.

Last year, it launched a book-and-claim solution, enabling Norden to allocate emission reductions made on its biofuel voyages to customers with a maritime supply chain, even when biofuels are not physically available to be bunkered on a specific trading route or voyage.   

Founded in 1871, Norden is one of Denmark’s oldest internationally operating shipping companies.

Incorporated in Denmark, it is listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen as a part of the OMX Nordic Large Cap index.

With 19 offices across six continents, Norden said it is an integrated part of global trade.