The Staten Island Ferry’s iconic orange vessels are converting to renewable fuel ahead of schedule, city officials are set to announce Tuesday.
The city’s first delivery of 336,000 gallons of renewable diesel — a petroleum-free fuel that’s supposed to have fewer greenhouse-gas emissions — reached Staten Island this week as the city plans to begin running all 10 of the boats on it.
“The Staten Island Ferry is the busiest municipal ferry service in the country,” NYC Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said in a statement, calling the fuel swap “a key step toward a cleaner and healthier New York City.”
The fuel, which has been used by the city’s municipal motor pool for more than a year, is a blend of alcohols, oils, fats and hydrogen that makes a renewable, cleaner-burning chemical equivalent to traditional diesel.
Distinct from biodiesel — but also based on sustainable substances like vegetable oil — renewable diesel should not require any modifications to a diesel engine in order to flow and combust.
Nevertheless, the city’s DOT, which runs the Staten Island Ferry, began testing the fuel on one vessel — the Sen. John J. Marchi — in October to rule out any incompatibilities.
At that time, city officials anticipated running all Staten Island ferries on the renewable fuel by January 2026.
A spokesman for the Department of Citywide Administrative Services — which manages much of the city’s motor pool and secured the renewable fuel for the city — told the News that 1.1 million gallons of the fuel had been tested on Staten Island Ferry vessels to date, and that the city felt confident making the switch this week.
According to the U.S. Energy Department, renewable diesel can produce as little as 40% of the carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions associated with traditional diesel fuel.
However, the long-term sustainability of the fuel remains to be seen, given the typically carbon-intensive processes involved in producing vegetable oils.
The Staten Island Ferry fleet burns about 4.5 million gallons of fuel a year, according to DCAS.