b'MEMBER NEWSMEMBER NEWSSteamship Authority to Pilot Use ofRenewable Diesel Fuel This SummerT he Woods Hole, Marthas Vine- stock production and transportation,andPortCouncil,theamembers yard and Nantucket Steamshipfuel production and distribution, andunanimouslyauthorized$62,400 PHOTO: THE WOODS HOLE, MARTHAS VINEYARD AND NANTUCKET STEAMSHIP AUTHORITYAuthority will test the use of athe use of the finished fuel emissions,expendituretocovertheupcharge renewable diesel fuel on its largest vesselR99 produces a minimum of 50 per- from ultra low-sulfur diesel fuel, for this summer that is expected to reducecent reduction in lifecycle greenhousewhichtheAuthoritycurrentlypays its greenhouse gas emissions by at leastgas emissions and as much as a 78 per- approximately$2.40pergallon,to half during operations. cent, depending on feedstock inputs. R99, which was quoted at $2.99 per gallon, including delivery charges.Thefuel,knownasR99,ischemi- While the fuel is newly available on the cally the same as the ultra-low-sulfurEast Coast, it has long been in use onThetrialwillrunfromJune1to marinedieselcurrentlyusedbythethe West Coast to great success. If theSept.1, 2025, aboard the M/V Island Authority, but it is made of recentlypilotprogramprovessuccessful,theHome,whichservestheAuthoritys living biomass. It can be used inter- AuthoritywillexaminemakingtheWoods Hole-Marthas Vineyard route. changeably with traditional diesel fuelswitch to R99 in all 10 of its ferries.Approximately 104,000 gallons of fuel without the need for engine modifica- The manufacturers of all engines usedare expected to be used during the test.tions, and it can be mixed with tradi- in the Authoritys fleet Authority have tional diesel fuel without incident. endorsed the use of R99. TheAuthoritysfuelsupplierwill provide the fuel in a dedicated tank-According to a wheel-to-wheel anal- AttheMay15,2025,jointmeetingertopreventthecomminglingof ysis of the fuel, which includes feed- oftheSteamshipAuthorityBoardfuel supply.FOGHORN 50'