Efen and Wilson Sons carry out Brazil’s first maritime sector HVO fueling

Photo: Wilson Sons

In late March, Efen (formerly NXT) and Wilson Sons carried out the first HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil) fueling operation in Brazil’s maritime sector. The operation was conducted at the Açu Liquid Bulk Terminal (TLA), owned by Vast Infraestrutura.

This marks the first test of HVO (a form of renewable diesel) on a marine vessel in Brazil and was approved in February by Brazil’s National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) HVO was imported by Efen (a joint venture between BP and Prumo Logística,) or tests on Wilson Sons’ tugs operating in the Port of Açu.

“This is a major milestone for Efen and all other companies involved and is a relevant step towards decarbonization in the Brazilian maritime and port sector,” said Efen CEO Rafael Pinheiro. “We supplied the first cubic meters of HVO and expect to expand the supply to other vessels of different sizes in the Port of Açu shortly.”

The green diesel study in Açu is expected to test efficiency ,the effects on maintenance processes, and the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. According to Wilson Sons, HVO can reduce carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2eq) emissions by more than 80%, considering the complete life cycle of the input. This reduction could be even greater in future with local production of HVO in Brazil.

As a partner with Eefen, Wilson Sons expects that this initiative may contribute to the company’s carbon reduction goals in its fleet of more than 80 vessels.

“We believe that using HVO, a fuel that is 100% compatible with the engines in our fleet, is a significant step in our emissions reduction journey,” says Wilson Sons executive director Marcio Castro. “Only with partners aligned towards a more sustainable operation will we achieve our decarbonization goals. With Porto do Açu, Vast, and efen, we can be sure that we are on the right path.”