Biofuel Bunkering at a High-Throughput Container Port

 

DP World and tug operator Svitzer are collaborating to reduce emissions from harbour towage at the Port of Southampton by switching a tug to biofuel. As part of this effort, the 2014-built Svitzer Bargate has been bunkered with 100 percent hydrogenated vegetable oil, replacing conventional diesel for ship-handling work at DP World’s container terminal on England’s south coast. The move targets a part of port emissions that is often overlooked in decarbonisation discussions, even though tug activity is essential to every port call.

 

How the Partnership Links to DP World’s Carbon Inset Model

 

DP World is tying the emissions savings from lower-carbon tug operations to its carbon inset programme, which is designed to reduce emissions within its own supply chain and then allocate those verified reductions to customers. The company frames this as a way for cargo owners to reduce emissions at the source rather than relying only on offsetting, with the aim of supporting Scope 3 reporting by making the last phase of port manoeuvring less carbon intensive.

 

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Expected Emissions Impact and Expansion Potential

 

The companies indicate that expanding the use of lower-carbon fuels across more towage assets could avoid more than 900 tonnes of CO2e annually, suggesting the tug deployment is being treated as an initial step rather than a one-off demonstration. The scale of impact will depend on how widely HVO can be supplied consistently, how many vessels are converted to regular use, and whether the operational profile of towage allows sustained fuel substitution without performance or maintenance tradeoffs.

 

Carbon Inset Credits and Changes to Customer Incentives

 

DP World launched its carbon inset programme in the UK in 2025 as a six-month trial and has extended it through to the end of 2026. The incentive structure has also been increased significantly, with registered importers now qualifying for 250 kg CO2e carbon inset credits per import-laden container, compared with 50 kg CO2e at launch. The updated credit calculation is intended to cover emissions associated with the full port call manoeuvring phase for container ships during their last nautical mile into London Gateway or Southampton, and it now explicitly includes the emissions of tug and pilot boats as part of the boundary.

 

What This Signals for Port Decarbonisation

 

This partnership reflects a broader shift in maritime decarbonisation toward addressing operational emissions that occur within port ecosystems, where multiple service providers contribute to the carbon footprint of a single vessel call. If DP World can scale biofuel bunkering for towage and reliably translate those reductions into credible inset credits, the approach could make port services a more active lever for Scope 3 progress, while also putting commercial pressure on other terminals to offer similar in-port emissions reductions rather than leaving the last mile outside the decarbonisation plan.