Crown Oil Partners with British Antarctic Survey to Supply HVO Onboard to RRS Sir David Attenborough

We are thrilled to have supplied 1 million litres of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) to fuel the world-famous RRS Sir David Attenborough, operated by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) on its voyage from Maderia and Montevideo. Using HVO is helping BAS, and its parent body NERC, reach net zero by 2040.

The RRS Sir David Attenborough is a leading global innovative research vessel that is changing how shipborne science is carried out in the polar regions. It carries some of the most cutting-edge facilities in the world, allowing scientists to investigate the Arctic and Antarctica’s oceans, ice, atmosphere and seafloor. 

HVO is a fully renewable diesel that reduces net carbon emissions by up to 90% compared to conventional diesel. As well as its substantial environmental benefits, HVO is an exceptional fuel for marine use due to its direct drop-in functionality, prolonged shelf life and improved cold start performance – particularly beneficial given the freezing conditions that the RRS Sir David Attenborough is designed to operate in.

Crown Oil’s HVO is sourced from UCOME feedstocks only. We are also a recognised supplier under the Renewable Fuels Assurance Scheme (RFAS) which guarantees that our product is credible, ethical and sustainably sourced. We are also approved by the International Sustainability Carbon Certification (ISCC) and our product verified at import, ensuring that the fuel is derived from a fully validated and auditable supply chain, meeting the most stringent standards available.

We are absolutely thrilled to have partnered with BAS to support the vessel’s significant work as their goals are aligned with our own. Running all our delivery vehicles on 100% HVO and being the UK’s first fuel supplier to be certified carbon neutral also helps to reduce their scope 3 emissions – something that we know can be a huge challenge given the nature of the industry.

HVO is currently the only solution for vessels of this size to meet their sustainability goals without compromising on performance, and we look forward to continuing to support businesses and organisations across all sectors with their net zero targets.

– Mark Andrews, director at Crown Oil.