Rio Tinto partners BP for one-year bio-VLSFO trial run

Oil supermajor BP will supply B30 biofuel blends to a vessel operated by mining company Rio Tinto for one year.

PHOTO: Rio Tinto's RTM Tasman. Rio Tinto

The trial runs will be conducted on Rio Tinto’s RTM Tasman vessel, which runs on Transatlantic and Atlantic-Pacific routes.

BP claims its B30 blend can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 26% compared to fuel oil. The biofuel is produced using recycled cooking oil and renewable oil sources, it said.

BP and Rio Tinto aim to evaluate the performance of the engine and assess different parameters such as fuel consumption and stability through these trials. All biofuel stems will be delivered in Rotterdam, BP says.