Citrosuco launches first long-haul voyage with B24 biodiesel on Carlos Fischer vessel

Citrosuco, one of the world’s largest producers of orange juice and ingredients, has announced the first long-haul voyage of its fleet powered by B24 biodiesel. The use of renewable fuel, which helps reduce emissions, is part of the company’s journey toward more sustainable shipping.

Leading this initiative is the vessel MV Carlos Fischer, which recently underwent technical upgrades in Tuzla, Turkey. Measuring 205 meters in length and 32 meters in width, the ship has the capacity to carry 32,000 tonnes of orange juice.

After its stay in Turkey, the vessel docked at the Port of Santos (SP), bringing with it the first 500 tonnes of B24 biodiesel stored in its fuel tanks to begin its next voyage to the United States.

Seen as a promising alternative for decarbonizing maritime transport, B24 biodiesel can reduce well-to-wake emissions—an approach that assesses the full life cycle of the fuel—by up to 20%. The use of biofuel also complies with international navigation standards, such as the IMO’s 2030 and 2050 targets, the CII (Carbon Intensity Indicator), and the EEXI (Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index).

“This initiative reinforces our commitment to decarbonizing the maritime sector in line with the SBTi – Science Based Target Initiative – connecting international environmental targets with Citrosuco’s ESG goals, which aim to reduce carbon emissions by 28% by 2030 in scopes 1 and 2,” highlighted Karen Lopes, Citrosuco’s General Manager of Maritime Operations and Terminals.

Following the inaugural voyage with biodiesel aboard the MV Carlos Fischer, the company plans to gradually expand the use of biofuel across its entire fleet, comprising five dedicated vessels and one chartered ship.

Decarbonization
Sustainability is at the core of Citrosuco’s business, and one of its ESG 2030 Commitments is to contribute to climate resilience. Reflecting its maturity in this area, the company has been rated A- by CDP, the leading framework for assessing environmental and climate performance, and has earned a Gold Seal from the GHG Protocol, with more than 10 years of CO₂ emissions inventories reported and third-party audited.

One of the company’s recent decarbonization projects was the energy transition at its terminal in Ghent, Belgium—the second-largest Citrosuco port terminal in operational volume. The facility now operates with 100% renewable, tracked, and certified energy.

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