As part of a mutual ambition to reduce their environmental impact Dutch inland haulier Kleijn Transport BV and Ocean Network Express (Europe) Ltd (ONE), have jointly started a pilot study based on eco-friendly Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil fuel (HVO).
Both companies recognize the importance of necessary change within the industry to protect the planet for future generations and are committed to take proactive measures to minimize any negative environmental impact resulting from their day-today activities. HVO is made of 100% renewable raw materials such as vegetable oils, animal oils and fats, and reduces CO2 greenhouse gas emissions up to 90%.
The synthetic fuel can be used as a direct replacement for regular diesel and is relatively easy to adopt in most modern EURO-6 norm road trucks without the need to replace or modify engines. The added benefit of HVO is the limited adverse impact on engine filters as commonly experienced when using regular blended BIO-diesel.
ONE acknowledges the environmental benefits of a modal shift towards rail and barge but at the same time recognizes the need for the inland road transportation particularly for cargoes with commodity characteristics such as those which are time precious or highly sensitive. Valued business partners such as Kleijn Transport BV (who share the same environmental ethics as ONE) are an essential link in the creation of a carbon neutral supply chain, helping ONE in their plan to create eco-friendly transportation corridors.
Robert Jan Brussaard, ONE’s General Manager of Inland Operations & Procurement for Europe and Africa said, “Initiating eco-friendly transportation corridors perfectly fits our green strategy as outlined in our ISO14001 dedicated inland operations environmental management system. We’re committed to be the green frontrunner in our field of business. In the end, we are the generation who set the sustainable standards. We only have one generation to get this done”.
Sustainable and economically viable alternative power sources for road trucking are not limitless and Kleijn Transport looks for alternative fuels that best match the company’s profile. Since electric, hydrogen or LNG trucks still have a limited operating range or require high investments to either upgrade or replace a haulier’s truck fleet, HVO is a suitable alternative which can be adopted relatively quickly in the short term.
To emphasise the importance of immediate action Tjeerd Hofmeyer, Commercial Director of Kleijn Transport added, “Why wait another day? Let’s start now by taking on the responsibility of leaving a habitable planet for future generations.”
The experimental case will be conducted for ONE’s one-way transports via the Benelux ports and last mile deliveries in the Duisburg area for a duration of 12 months. The expected HVO fuel consumption is 100,000 liters, saving nearly 300,000 kilograms of CO2. Both business partners will equally share the involved cost of the project and if proven successful, the intention is to rollout the usage of HVO on other routes.
