BC Ferries’ Director, Climate Change Policy, Frank Camaraire, informed that the company is preparing to transition all of its Metro Vancouver based vessels that currently use conventional diesel fuel to B20 over the next year while exploring opportunities to increase the biodiesel content all the way up to 100% (B100).
According to BC Ferries, it has removed the equivalent of nearly 3000 cars from the road over the past year and did so with its 2022 BC Ferries Clean Futures Plan.
Normally we run our fleet on ultra-low sulphur diesel that contains at least five per cent biodiesel (B5). But we wanted to accelerate our goal to meet emissions targets and embrace our environmental responsibility so we seized an opportunity to do both
said Frank Camaraire, Director, Climate Change Policy for BC Ferries.
More specifically, running rich on biofuel presented some key findings, with Ryan Krogmeier, senior vice-president, Refining, Supply, Trading, HSE, Parkland, adding that “renewable diesel has fantastic properties and it will play an integral role through the energy transition as society strives to lower emissions.”
Much like co-processed fuels, renewable diesel is chemically identical to conventional diesel and can be dropped into existing systems without any modifications. In addition to its obvious economic benefits, renewable diesel reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 75 per cent
The two trials have eliminated 13,200 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from October 2021 through June 2022. That’s similar to removing 2800 cars from the road for an entire year with far more ambitious goals on the horizon.
The 2030 target for BC Ferries is to reduce the company’s 2008 greenhouse gas emissions by at least 27% while addressing the demands of a growing population calling for increased service.
