Danish shipping company Norden has performed its first biofuel voyage out of the US in collaboration with its customer, the independent renewable energy producer Albioma, marking a continuation of Norden’s strategic ambitions within biofuels.
The ISCC EU certified B24 biofuel blend (24% biofuel & 76% VLSFO conventional marine fuel) was bunkered in the port of Houston, Texas prior to loading 30,000t 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 Albioma.
Sourcing of high-quality biofuels able to live up to Norden’s standards is limited to a few locations. With a new biofuel supplier in place, Norden can now provide customers trading out of the US with biofuel, supporting its ambition to lower customers’ supply chain emissions.
Mikkel Marconi, Commercial Lead Biofuel, Norden, said: “Until now, we have not been able to source biofuel in the US, living up to Norden’s high standards. 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. Thanks to Albioma for entrusting us with the responsibility to lower their emissions.”
Norden says it has been a frontrunner in the use of biofuels to lower supply chain emissions since 2018, when it performed the first ever commercial 100% biofuel voyage. Since then, Norden’s investments in biofuels has grown substantially, catering to growing customer demands and decarbonisation regulations.
Henrik Røjel, Head of Decarbonisation and Climate Solutions, Norden, said: “We are pleased to perform yet another biofuel voyage for a customer looking to decarbonise their supply chains. 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.”
In 2023, Norden acquired a minority stake in the biofuel scale-up Mash Makes, strengthening future supply of renewable fuels. Last year, it launched a Book & Claim solution, enabling emission reductions made on Norden’s biofuel voyages to be allocated to customers with a maritime supply chain, even when biofuels are not physically available to be bunkered on a specific trading route or voyage.
Image: Norden has completed its first biofuel transit from the US (source: Norden)
