Bio boat soon to be making waves

A tourist ship bound for the sub-Antarctic Islands this weekend is believed to be the first powered by an alternative fuel source.

Heritage Expeditions' flagship Spirit of Enderby will leave from Bluff tomorrow with 2700 litres of B10 biodiesel, which contains up to 10 per cent used cooking oil.

The owner of the Christchurch-based company, Rodney Russ, said they were always looking for new ways to reduce their carbon footprint, especially in such environmentally sensitive areas, and biodiesel was a natural fit.

The ship would not be powered by biodiesel the entire time. Rather, it would be used at intervals during the 18-day trip, he said.

The summer-long tourist season would be used a trial period before deciding whether to extend its use, Mr Russ said.

The trial is a joint venture between the company, BP Oil and Biodiesel New Zealand.

Biodiesel New Zealand sales and marketing manager Gerard Dobbs said there was little difference between cost and efficiency compared with conventional fuel sources. The price was still in favour of mineral fuels but the gap was narrowing all the time, he said.

One of beauty of biofuel was that if there was ever a mishap and it found its way to water, it would either biodegrade or marine life would eat it, Mr Dobbs said.

"Once more operators start using it, it will open up a new pathways for tourism in sensitive areas."

Engineers would monitor the performance of the engines throughout the voyage, but he was confident there would be no problems.