Fuel & Oil Treatment
Charting a Greener Course: Sustainable Shipping with Biofuels
The decarbonization of shipping plays a crucial role on the road to a climate-neutral transport economy. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has set a goal of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping by or around 2050. Checkpoints for 2030 aim to reduce GHG emissions by 20-30% and for 2040 by 70-80% compared to 2008.
The vast majority of ocean-going vessels run on heavy fuel oil. This contributes to about 3 percent of global CO2 emissions and ship owners need to consider more sustainable fuel sources. The switch to alternative fuels is necessary to limit greenhouse gas emissions in international maritime transport as quickly as possible and to achieve the IMO's CO2reduction targets.
Potential of biofuels for shipping
Among the various fuel solutions available to ship operators, biofuels offer a good alternative. Carbon emissions are lower compared to fossil fuels and sustainability criteria can be met.
Existing engines can generally use biofuels without major fuel line modifications. Therefore, biofuels are already seen as a bridge fuel for future fuels and are being used as a retrofit for existing vessels to achieve initial energy and CO2 savings.
GEA biofuel Separators
GEA biofuel Separators are specifically designed for the unique characteristics of biofuels, efficiently separating water and contaminants to meet the stringent requirements of the industry.
GEA also offers the option of upgrading older generations such as OSC, OSD, and OSE Separators to make them compatible with the unique characteristics of biofuels. For many years, GEA separators, regardless of generation, have proven excellent separation performance for biofuels on board ships.
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Pushing the limits. The GEA marine Separator.
GEA marine Upgrade Kit for separators
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GEA Insights
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Ports now compete not just on logistics, but on sustainability. At Greece’s Piraeus port, an advanced processing and recovery facility recycles ship waste oil into fuel. Equipped with GEA’s high-performance centrifuges, it sets a new benchmark for state-of-the-art, environmentally responsible port operations.
