Volvo aims to cut CO2 emissions with renewable fuels for ocean freight

Volvo has announced that ocean freighters carrying production material for its cars will now use renewable fuel wherever possible.

It becomes one of the first car makers to make the switch, which Volvo says will bring an immediate reduction in fossil CO2 emissions from intercontinental ocean freight by 55,000 tonnes each year. Volvo states that CO2 emissions are reduced by 84 per cent compared with traditional fossil fuels.

The alternative fuel itself is made from Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAME), based upon renewable and sustainable sources with the main one of these being waste cooking oil. This fuel will be used to power inbound ocean container transports of material set for use in Europe and the Americas.

Javier Varela, chief operating officer and deputy CEO of Volvo, said: “Renewable fuel is not the end game for removing CO2 from the world’s ocean freight needs.

“Yet this initiative shows that we can act now and implement solutions that achieve significant results during the wait for long-term technological alternatives.

“We don’t view this initiative as a competitive advantage. On the contrary, we want to spark other car makers into action as well, to increase demand for carbon-efficient ocean transports and to establish renewable fuels as a mid-term solution that works. We all have a responsibility to act.”

Volvo states that when renewable fuel can’t be made available on a specific shipment, the allocation will instead be used by a ‘logistic partner’ on another route elsewhere. This system, called ‘mass-balancing’, is also regularly audited by a third party.