HVO Thrives at Gothenburg. Volvo Penta Turns the RoRo Terminal Green
Gothenburg RoRo Terminal passed one million operating hours on Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) across its machine fleet powered by Volvo Penta
Volvo Penta has helped strengthen the credibility of HVO as an alternative fuel even for the most demanding duty cycles, in terms of implement usage and peak load conditions.
“We haven’t seen any fuel-related problems. The engines perform as reliably as on conventional diesel, with even fewer maintenance issues related to fuel and aftertreatment than our sister port,” stated Göran Dittmer, Technical manager of the Gothenburg RoRo Terminal.
HVO at work
“Our partnership with Volvo Penta has been ongoing since 2014,” says Dittmer. “We provide the machines and operational environment and run as many hours as possible, while Volvo Penta uses this to test and validate driveline solutions and collect data that supports future development.”
Field testing has been at the core of the collaboration from the start. The terminal machines serve as real-world testbeds for activities such as engine data logging for electric driveline development, hydrogen injector trials, turbo testing and component validation.
“The value of piloting these technologies is enormous,” says Göran. “It gives both the port and Volvo Penta practical experience before products reach the market and helps plan for future infrastructure and regulatory requirements.”
In parallel, early discussions are taking place around possible retrofits aimed at extending machine lifespan, as a cost-efficient and necessary way to meet evolving sustainability requirements.
The terminal led the transition to HVO fuel, starting with a 40% blend in 2018 to meet EU density regulations. In 2019, the entire fleet, including engines dating back to 1999, operated on 100% HVO.
“CO₂ emissions per unit have decreased to about one third of the previous level,” says Göran. Reducing CO₂ emissions per unit has allowed the terminal to grow production while staying within environmental limits: “The only way to increase production is to reduce CO₂ per unit,” explains Göran.
Operational insights
Operating in a harsh terminal environment—constant exposure to salt, moisture, and heavy use—accelerates wear and corrosion. While these challenges remain, collaboration with Volvo Penta provides valuable insight into engine and driveline performance over time. Meanwhile, the terminal continues to explore cost-effective and sustainable ways to extend machine life, including potential repowering and retrofits, though these are not yet implemented.
While HVO has been a key enabler in meeting current sustainability targets, regulatory expectations for emissions reduction will continue to evolve and tighten over time, making electrification and other zero emission technologies increasingly important.
