Rolls-Royce approves sustainable fuels for marine engines

Meros Yachtsharing has tested HVO with their new 28m Sunseeker Blue Infinity One (Photo: Rolls-Royce)

Rolls-Royce has approved the use of EN15940 sustainable fuels for use with the 2000 and 4000 mtu yacht engines.

The fuels covered by the regulation include BtL (biomass to liquid), PtL (Power to liquid) and HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil).

The fuels can be used without any engine adjustments.

Speaking about the move, Denise Kurtulus, vice president, Global Marine, Rolls-Royce Power Systems, said: “We currently see renewable diesel (HVO) as a very valuable sustainable solution because the fuel is already available and offers some benefits to our yacht customers.

“When running our mtu yacht engines on HVO, which are already benchmarks in terms of exhaust emissions, yacht owners benefit from a significantly reduced carbon footprint while continuing to enjoy best-in-class performance and experience quiet operation with further reduced soot emissions.”

Rolls-Royce further notes that HVO can reduce particulate emissions by 40% or more, while also cutting NOx by about 8%. CO2 emissions are cut by 90%, as the biomass used to produce HVO has removed CO2 from the atmosphere prior to processing.

Pod propulsion systems uses mtu 2000 Series engine and ZF’s POD 4600 (Photo: Rolls-Royce)

In other marine market news, Rolls-Royce is to add pod drives to its mtu yacht portfolio, in cooperation with ZF.

The new systems will be offered for series production yachts up to about 30 metres in length and with a top speed of up to 32 knots, and also for crew transfer vessels and other workboats.

Denise Kurtulus said: “We offer this integrated solution to provide a better yachting experience with easier manoeuvrability and space and efficiency gains. Propulsion efficiency can be increased by up to 15% with the mtu-ZF combined solution, significantly reducing the carbon footprint. Compared to conventional fixed propeller drives, the yacht’s manoeuvrability can be significantly improved.”