Fred. Olsen taking Bio Fuel Initiative

Fred. Olsen Cruises are taking steps towards more environmentally friendly operations by signing a deal with Bio Driven of Canterbury, a new start up company dedicated to the production of high quality, compliant Bio diesel.

Waste cooking oil from the cruise ships will be collected and transformed through a carbon negative process into a clean and efficient fuel.

David Chalk of Bio Driven said: “We use pioneering technology in our plant facility, ensuring our production process to be carbon negative.” Bio Driven is also a member of the Environmental Industries Commission and the Renewable Energy association.

The waste oil will be collected from the ships in Southampton and Dover and transported in containers provided by Bio Driven. The containers are then delivered to the Bio Driven plant in Canterbury where it will be filtered, analysed and washed before being put through a process which removes the glycerine. The final stage is to dose the glycerine-free bio diesel to remove any chemical impurities and then it undergoes a final polishing and filtration before being packaged ready for supply as environmentally friendly fuel.

Matt Grimes, Director of Logistics for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines said: “We are very excited to be working with Bio Driven, as we are always looking for ways to make our operations more environmentally friendly and to recycle our waste material, so this venture is a “win win” situation for everyone.”

Bio Driven will also be donating 5p per litre to projects in Zimbabwe.