Furetank Achieves Fully Fossil-Free Operations with Renewable Fuels

Swedish Donsö-based shipping company Furetank has secured large-scale access to biogas, enabling its EU-based fleet to operate entirely on renewable fuels. Through a mass-balanced biomethane agreement, the company can make an immediate transition, a goal it has pursued for more than a decade.

Thanks to the new EU regulation FuelEU Maritime, certified biogas can be injected into one end of the European gas grid and extracted at the other, much like green electricity. This framework now gives Furetank access to sufficient volumes to operate all its owned vessels trading in Europe on biomethane during 2025. Most of the fleet is already running on renewable fuels.

When the vessel Fure Valö called at the Donsö Shipping Meet on September 1, it did so power entirely without fossil fuels. In addition to biomethane as the main fuel, renewable biodiesel HVO100, bunkered at the Port of Gothenburg, was used to ignite combustion in the engine. Traditionally, this step relies on marine gasoil.

"Achieving fully fossil-free operations has been our ambition since we converted our first vessel to gas propulsion back in 2015. It is fantastic to finally reach the point we have worked towards and spoken about for so long. Today, the right incentives are in place to make it commercially viable. We have found partners able to deliver the volumes and quality of gas we have been searching for, resulting in a very substantial reduction in CO₂ emissions, says Viktoria Höglund, Sustainability Strategist at Furetank"

Port of Gothenburg: “The transition in shipping is accelerating”

From the perspective of the Port of Gothenburg, Furetank’s initiative is considered a milestone and a valuable example for the wider shipping industry.

"This is a clear sign that the transition within shipping continues to accelerate. We see how new regulations like FuelEU Maritime are already driving change, and those shipping companies that dared to invest early in alternative fuels are now reaping the benefits of their experience and partnerships, says Therese Jällbrink, Head of Renewable Energy at the Port of Gothenburg AB."

The Port of Gothenburg has already established a green corridor together with Rotterdam, with the aim of creating fully fossil-free sea transport between the ports. Within this collaboration – in which Furetank is a key participant – stakeholders from across the value chain come together to push solutions forward, highlight the cost gap between fossil and renewable fuels, and emphasize the need for incentives and harmonized standards.

"The fact that we now see vessels operating entirely on biogas and biodiesel, with part of the fuel even delivered from the Port of Gothenburg, shows that the transition is real. As a port, we play a crucial role in enabling shipping companies to shift. This means making alternative fuels available, acting as a bridge between producers and end-users, and continuing to advocate for stricter regulations that support the companies investing in sustainable solutions, says Therese Jällbrink."

Fact Box

• FuelEU Maritime
  The EU’s new regulation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the maritime sector. It aims to accelerate the shift towards renewable and low-carbon fuels in shipping by setting limits on the greenhouse gas intensity of fuels used, starting January 1, 2025.
  
• Which vessels are covered?
  All commercial cargo and passenger vessels over 5,000 gross tons, regardless of flag, calling at or departing from an EU or EEA port.
  
• Life Cycle Perspective – “Well-to-Wake”
  The regulation covers emissions across the entire chain: from production and transport of the fuel (Well-to-Tank) to onboard combustion (Tank-to-Wake).