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Marine Biodiesel Use in the Puget Sound Nikola Davidson BC Marine Biodiesel Symposium June 20, 2008
Marine Biodiesel Use in the Puget Sound
Nikola Davidson
BC Marine Biodiesel Symposium
June 20, 2008
We represent
NW biodiesel and ethanol businesses
Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington
www.nwbiofuels.org
• Overview
• Experiences
• Vessels
• Fuel docks
• Challenges
• Opportunities
• Resources
Marine Biodiesel Use in the Puget Sound
Overview – Why are Marine Vessels Using Biodiesel?
– Corporate “green” values– Government commitment to
air quality– Market differentiation– Improved emissions/reduced
exhaust– Concerns with water
quality/marine life– Superior fuel/engine
performance
Overview – Use and BlendsRecreational
Over 200 B99 boaters in San Francisco Bay
Smaller Commercial VesselsWhale watchingCharter boatsGovernment
Research vesselsSpill clean-up vessels
BlendsB5, B20, B99
Marine Biodiesel Use in the Puget Sound
• Vessels– North Shore Charters– Whale watching– Guemes Ferry
• Fuel Docks– Shilshole – Elliott Bay– Deer Harbor– Friday Harbor
North Shore Charters/Mead Biofuels
• Brought biodiesel to San Juan Island 6-7 years ago
• Running B99 for 2 years• GM Optimizer, 6.5 Turbo
Diesel• No operational issues• Adding new boat
– Twin Cummins QSD 4.2– 320 horsepower– Will run on B99
Mead Biofuels customer• Volvo Penta 250 horsepower• Running 4 years on B99• No operational issues
Whale Watching – San Juans• Western Prince Whale & Wildlife Tours
– First whale watching vessel on San Juan to use biodiesel– Uses B20
• Mix of Volvo, Cummins, and John Deere engines
• Mix of B20 and B5– Deer Harbor Charters– San Juan Excursions
• Integral part of market branding
Guemes Island Ferry
• 124’ long, 91 gross tons, 100 passengers
• 2, 2005 Cummins KTA 19M3, turbo charged diesel engines
• Two sets of fuel filters – 20 micron Racor – Fleet Guard
• Cleaned fuel tanks and lines before switching
Guemes Island Ferry• Biodiesel supplied by Whole
Energy
• 2 fuel tanks per engine, 1500 gallons each (no on-site fuel storage)
• 2200 gallons delivered at a time
• Raise blend level every 6 weeks– B5– B10– B15– B20 (Nov. 12th)
Guemes Island Ferry• Motivation
– Exhaust problem (when went from 2 stroke to 4 stroke engine)
– “Crew choked out”– Soot complaints from
Anacortes marina– Passenger
interest/familiarity
• Hope to be a model for others
Shilshole Bay Marina• Selling B20 for 5 years• Sales doubled each year, peaked 2006
Shilshole Bay Marina•New dispenser pump, in-ground storage
•Filter to 10 microns
•Mix of recreational, government vessels
•Decrease in fuel sales across the board due to high prices
Elliott Bay Marina• Selling B99 for 5
years• Sales peaked in 2006
(2500 gallons)• Above-ground storage
(250 gallon tank)• Only sells in the
summer• Boaters self-blend• Not profitable, offer as
service• Deterrents
– Price– Warranty– Parts compatibility
Elliott Bay Marina
Deer Harbor Marina
Deer Harbor Marina• Only one diesel tank, one diesel pump
• Currently offers B99 to whale watching boats– 55 gallon drum with hand crank pump– Reluctant to offer to recreational boaters
• Offered B99 in 2002-2003, then B20 for 2 years• Stopped 6 months ago• Warranty concerns (especially Volvo)• Concerns with compatibility, filters• Misperceptions with sustainability• Lack of education
• Limited land, can’t add another tank
Friday Harbor Marina
• Only sell B99 to commercial accounts (2 whale watchers)– B99 in 55 gallon drums, pumped
into re-usable 5 gallon buckets– Self-mixed into B10-B20– Not profitable but provided as
service, “do the right thing”– Described as “pain in the butt”
• Recently stopped selling B20, low sales due to lack of education & price
Challenges to Marine Use in the Puget Sound
• Price• Lack of education
– Warranty concerns– Technical misperceptions– Sustainability
• Lack of support – dealers, OEMs• Lack of availability• Limited space at fuel docks• Current lack of profitability for fuel docks
• “Recommended/approved” vs. engine warranty coverage
• Manufacturer warranties do not cover fuel
• Only cover workmanship and materials
• If an engine experiences a failure unrelated to the biodiesel use, it must be covered by the warranty. U.S. federal law prohibits the voiding of a warranty because biodiesel was used – it has to be the cause of the failure.
• Volvo and Yanmar – B5
• Cummins and John Deere – supportive as long as meets ASTM spec
• Wide variation with dealerships
(Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act)
Marine Engine Warranties
EPA Dive Boat• Want to use biodiesel, no
local fill station
• Local Pacific Pride (B20) can’t take GSA card
• Volvo threatened to withdraw warranty if used more than 5%, worried about self-blending
• Looked at fuel delivery options, but concerns with fuel spill risk
Opportunities/Lessons Learned
• Education– Original Engine Manufacturers– Individual dealerships– Fuel dock personnel– Boating community
• Importance of experienced biodiesel supplier
• Continue with quality assurance programs
Resources• Nikola Davidson
• NW Biofuels Association (station locator and downloadable PDF on marine biodiesel)www.nwbiofuels.org
• Whole Energywww.whole-energy.com
• National Biodiesel Boardwww.biodiesel.org
