BMW joins UECC GoodFuels ro-ro trial

In Germany, after having announced their three-month biofuel trial, leading short sea shipowner UECC and the GoodShipping Program have now partnered with premium car manufacturer BMW Group to continue to test marine Bio Fuel-Oil (BFO) on UECC’s ‘roll-on, roll-off’ (ro-ro) car carrying vessels. BMW Group joins UECC and the GoodShipping Program in the previously announced trial, where BFO is being tested on UECC’s 140m, 2,080-vehicle carrier M/V Autosky.

By covering the fuel premium for a biofuel volume corresponding to BMW Group’s freight that will be shipped on the Autosky during the trial period, BMW Group will be able to claim a CO2 emission reduction of 80 to 90% for these shipments, totaling more than 400 metric tons of carbon.

The first volume of biofuel was delivered to M/V Autosky on March 16, 2020, in the Port of Rotterdam. The trial has and will see subsequent further refueling operations between March and July 2020. M/V Autosky is currently testing BFO on the route between Zeebrugge, Belgium, and Santander, Spain.