Article

Earlier this week at the Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show, NMMA and its member companies highlighted sustainable marine fuels at the show’s Venetian Marina location for several local and international government agency representatives.

In partnership with Suzuki Marine, two boats featured PurFuels, a high-performance, ethanol-free fuel made with IDEAL EMP from Lyondell Basell, which is currently available at the St. Andrews Marina in Panama City, Fla. In partnership with Volvo-Penta, one boat ran on hydrotreated vegetable oil, a renewable diesel, from Neste. Both fuels are 100% drop-in, meaning these high-quality fuels require no changes to the boat, engine, or fuel system.

Building on the momentum of the Propelling Our Future initiative, a global industry effort to provide guidance and resources that will ensure the long-term resilience of the recreational boating industry, the development and accessibility of technologies like sustainable marine fuels are critical.

Recently, the Department of Energy introduced an Action Plan for Maritime Energy and Emissions Innovation, which aligns closely with Propelling Our Future research and emphasizes the need for multiple technologies, including sustainable marine fuels, efficiency improvements, hybrid-electric technologies, hydrogen, electric, and lifecycle analysis to further reduce recreational boating emissions.

As part of this plan, NMMA supported a key recommendation to establish a public-private partnership, uniting government agencies and industry leaders under a new Sustainable Maritime Fuel Grand Challenge. This initiative aims to scale the advancement of sustainable marine fuels which is a critical priority of the recreational marine industry and an important step in demonstrating American energy innovation for the global maritime industry.