Samskip extends short-sea biofuel agreement

The multimodal group has signed a new agreement with GoodFuels, committing the Samskip container ships Endeavour, Innovator, Hofell and Skatafell to run on the latter’s MDF1-100 biofuel which is made entirely from sustainable waste.

“Sustainable marine biofuels offer a viable way for Samskip to cut CO2 emissions by 90% so that our ships and freight customers reduce their carbon footprint in the interests of the planet,” said Erik Hofmeester, head of Vessel Management, Samskip.

“As part of Samskip’s relationship with GoodFuels, freight owners also become part of a scheme where the lower ocean carbon footprint is auditable as carbon credits in the supply chain,” he added.

Following biofuel trials in 2019, Samskip began running main engines onboard the 800 teu Samskip Endeavour before extending this to the Innovator in 2021 and the Hoffell and Skatafell this year. Bunkering for all four ships takes place in Rotterdam.

Initially using a biofuel blend which achieved a 30% CO2-reduction, more competitive pricing enabled Samskip to integrate a 100% biofuel from 2021 and achieve the 90% reduction.

Negotiations are already underway covering a 2023 GoodFuels supply contract with one possible scenario to extend the agreement to chartered vessels.