New York's Department of Citywide Administrative Services awards tender to buy renewable diesel for ferries

    April 2, 2025
    The tender is in partnership with Angus and will enable the transition to long-term and large-scale renewable diesel use for city vessels.
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    NYC Ferry
    NYC Ferry.
    NYC Ferry.

    New York's Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) has awarded its first tender to buy renewable diesel (R99) for its ferries. DCAS notes the tender is part of a plan announced in October 2024 to transition the Staten Island Ferry and other vessels to R99. DCAS is basing its tender — for barge delivery — on the New York Harbor R99 price published by global energy and commodity price reporting agency Argus. 

    According to Argus, use of the fuel has grown in the U.S., spurred by environmental policy. California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard has driven investments in renewable diesel production and two major refineries in the state, P66 Rodeo and the Martinez renewables project refinery, a joint venture between Neste and Marathon, have switched from making petroleum diesel to renewable diesel. Companies have also invested in expanding R99 capacity in the U.S. Gulf coast. 

    DCAS, the New York City (NYC) Department of Transportation, the NYC Department of Environmental Protection and NYC Parks have already begun testing the use of R99 in vessels. The barge contract will enable the transition to long-term and large-scale R99 use for city vessels. 

    Argus publishes comprehensive coverage of the renewable diesel market, including price assessments for markets in California and the U.S. Gulf coast. 

    "We developed our renewable diesel prices in close consultation with buyers and sellers to provide essential transparency around market value in this evolving space. We are delighted that DCAS is using our price for its ferry fleet transition program,” said Argus Media Chairman and Chief Executive Adrian Binks.  

    DCAS Deputy Commissioner and NYC Chief Fleet Officer Keith Kerman said, "We have already moved all our heavy-duty and off-road vehicles to renewable diesel, making us the first major East Coast city to adopt green technology on such a large scale. As announced by the city in October 2024, step two is to move NYC's ferries and vessels to this more environmentally friendly fuel. DCAS contracts with Argus for fuel market information, and Argus has now provided us with a new resource to compare renewable with conventional fuel pricing in our contracts."