Fossil Free Marine today revealed that it has applied for patent and design protection for what the company characterizes as a world-first concept – a crewless floating marine fuel station for sustainable fuels.

Fossil Free states the idea was developed over many years and is based on unique environmental and risk evaluations and certifications completed by a well-known worldwide certifying authority.

The Fossil Free Marine was founded in 2019 to facilitate sustainable boating on a global scale through infrastructure solutions that enable the distribution of renewable drop-in biofuels in a financially viable, safe, and environmentally friendly manner, as well as marine superchargers for fast charging future electric boats.

“Our game-changing solution catapults the maritime industry into the twenty-first century,” says Karl-Oskar Tjernström, co-founder and CEO of Fossil Free Marine. “It incorporates technologies previously available only in the most advanced land-based fuel distribution infrastructure.” “When scaled up, our innovative marine fuel station will bridge the gap between providers of contemporary renewable drop-in biofuels and boaters seeking to minimize their climate impact significantly,” he concluded.

The first and second units, which are slated to be manufactured and installed in prominent sites near downtown Stockholm in the second and third quarters of 2022, are partially sponsored by Swedish government investment incentives. The funding program, dubbed KlimatKlivet (“The Climate Leap”), is intended to cover “incremental expenditures linked with renewable fuel supply.”

The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (Naturvrdsverket) states in its rationale that the effort is “…among those that demonstrate the best sustainable decrease in greenhouse gas emissions per Swedish krona spent.”

This serves as the foundation for the design. Each part serves a specific function: establishing a new global standard for safe and ecologically friendly fuel storage and delivery to boats.

“By utilizing composite technology, which was originally developed for the military naval industry, we achieve numerous benefits, including low weight, high internal volume, and compatibility with any type of liquid fuel, including renewable diesel, bio-gasoline, or even future e-fuels,” added Niklas Sjöö, co-founder of Fossil Free Marine.

Additionally, the firm said that the business model is scalable, lucrative, and highly influential, potentially making boating sustainable globally.

Here are some facts:

• Construction of the hull in the military composite.
• 24 m in length; 4.3 m in width; approx. 35 tons in weight (empty).
• Internal volume: 60 m3, divided into six 10 m3 tanks.
• 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, completely crewless operations.
• Constructed to meet land-based station rules while also meeting the most strict environmental safety regulations (e.g., freshwater reservoirs), and is future-proofed for impending laws governing additional delicate marine habitats.
• Increased volume capacity allows more lucrative operations, owing to enhanced logistics and a decreased risk of stock-outs.
• Environmentally and safety-wise, the construction is future-proof and well-protected against fuel theft. All piping is secured below deck, behind a single closed access hatch.
• Increases the number of fuel qualities available, enabling the operator to react more quickly to changes in customer demand, such as supplying lower amounts of more specialty fuels, such as particular biofuels, while still operating profitably.
• Maintains a constant level regardless of tank capacity, providing safe operations and reassuring end consumers.