Maersk to Run Biodiesel Test

Maersk Line and Lloyd's Register will team up in a two year program to test the suitability of biodiesel for use in powering marine engines.

The feasibility study, funded in part by the Dutch government, will take place on board the Maersk Line container ship, Maersk Kalmar. Collaborators in the project are Maersk Line, Maersk Tankers, Maersk Supply Service, Maersk Drilling, Maersk Ship Management, Lloyd’s Register’s Strategic Research Group, and a consortium of Dutch subcontractors. Maersk Maritime Technology will coordinate the project.

Using fatty acid methyl esters – a biodiesel product known as FAME -- the tests will use a blend of between 5 percent and 7 percent biodiesel to examine a long list of potential problems.

“One of the aims of the tests is to establish the degree to which issues experienced by the automotive industry in the use FAME, will be duplicated on board ship, in particular the impact on storage stability, handling and its subsequent use in the engine. Where adverse effects are arising it is hoped to find solutions to overcome them,” said Kim Tanneberger, specialist of Lloyd’s Register’s Strategic Research Group.

Aside from high cost and limited availability of FAME, the study will attempt to solve problems such as the following:
storage instability
adverse reaction of materials to it (acidity, surfactant properties of FAME)
susceptibility to microbial growth
adverse effects on instrumentation of the bilge water system
poor cold flow properties (cloud point and pour point)
impact on the level of NOx emissions emitted
variation of quality of supply world wide depending on feedstock.

"Exploring the behavior of our engines and storage tanks and knowing the change in air emissions by using FAME blends onboard will give us valuable knowledge of the opportunities and challenges,” said Lasse Kragh Andersen, senior environmental specialist in Maersk Maritime Technology.

Contact Thomas L. Gallagher at tgallagher@joc.com.