Petrobras carried out Brazil’s first bunker delivery with renewable content at the Rio Grande Terminal (Terig), in Rio Grande do Sul, on 31 December.
Transpetro’s Darcy Ribeiro vessel was refuelled with the new, lower carbon footprint fuel, a mixture of 90% bunker volume of mineral origin and 10% of biodiesel.
The purpose of the test is to evaluate the use of the bunker with renewable content for two months and the logistical challenges associated with the use of the product.
The renewable fraction of the new fuel has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in relation to the bunker when considered over the full life cycle. The estimated percentage reduction of CO2 equivalent emissions from this mixture is around 7%.
During the tests carried out in the laboratory of the Petrobras Research and Development Center (Cenpes), no impacts were found in meeting the main properties of the bunker specification.
Furthermore, the assessment of the burning quality and the stability of the mixture indicated the approval for the field test in a sea vessel. It is expected that the operation of the ship will confirm the laboratory results and will be uneventful in the performance of the engines, filters, and fuel purification systems.
With the IMO 2023 seal, vessels will be certified and ranked according to the level of energy efficiency and Transpetro has been investing in several solutions in recent years, with a focus on taking our fleet to the best levels of efficiency
said Sea and Land Engineering and Technology Director at Transpetro, Jair Toledo.
