Luxury resort chain Sandals completes successful biodiesel pilot project
Following the success of its first biodiesel conversion centre in St. Lucia, Sandals Resorts is now considering ways to expand the project throughout its resorts across the Caribbean region.
Since 2015, a biodiesel plant at the company’s dive centre in Pointe Seraphine has been converting used vegetable oil from the kitchens at the three Sandals resorts on the island into biodiesel for use in marine vessels, St. Lucia Times reports.
The project was set up by Maurice Moss, former marine boat maintenance manager at the dive centre. Since July 2018, the plant, which has since been upgraded, has been managed by Quentin Landman, who took over from Moss. Fuel conversion is handled by biodiesel technician Sammy Hillman.
According to Landman, the plant produces around 320 gallons of biodiesel every month, which is used to fuel Sandals’ four dive boats, as well as a company van.
“We manufacture about 80 gallons over six days and our engines drink diesel at rates of 25 gallons an hour,” Landman explained. “What we save at the pump is about 90 cents per litre of diesel. We do get worthwhile savings.
“Using the biodiesel fuel cuts our monthly diesel budget by 10%. For a small project, those are commendable results.”
The vessels are powered by a mix of biodiesel and petroleum diesel, which results in considerable environmental benefits.
“We add about 35-45% biodiesel to the vessels’ diesel and we do this because there are settings in the vehicles’ engine control unit that would need to be changed to allow them to run entirely on biodiesel and we’ve not done that yet,” Landman added. “We’ve found that a mix is best and I’ve used in on my own vehicle with no ill effects.”
Commending the Saint Lucia team for their efforts, Adam Stewart, deputy chairman of Sandals Resorts, noted: “The work that this team has been doing is nothing short of remarkable. It not only speaks to our commitment to the environment and to reducing our carbon footprint but it also highlights the talent and expertise of our team members who have committed to this project and have reaped commendable results. All the work is being done in house by our team and that alone is incredibly significant.”
Research and testing is expected to continue in St. Lucia with a view to rolling out similar schemes in all islands where Sandals operates.
Since 2015, a biodiesel plant at the company’s dive centre in Pointe Seraphine has been converting used vegetable oil from the kitchens at the three Sandals resorts on the island into biodiesel for use in marine vessels, St. Lucia Times reports.
The project was set up by Maurice Moss, former marine boat maintenance manager at the dive centre. Since July 2018, the plant, which has since been upgraded, has been managed by Quentin Landman, who took over from Moss. Fuel conversion is handled by biodiesel technician Sammy Hillman.
According to Landman, the plant produces around 320 gallons of biodiesel every month, which is used to fuel Sandals’ four dive boats, as well as a company van.
“We manufacture about 80 gallons over six days and our engines drink diesel at rates of 25 gallons an hour,” Landman explained. “What we save at the pump is about 90 cents per litre of diesel. We do get worthwhile savings.
“Using the biodiesel fuel cuts our monthly diesel budget by 10%. For a small project, those are commendable results.”
The vessels are powered by a mix of biodiesel and petroleum diesel, which results in considerable environmental benefits.
“We add about 35-45% biodiesel to the vessels’ diesel and we do this because there are settings in the vehicles’ engine control unit that would need to be changed to allow them to run entirely on biodiesel and we’ve not done that yet,” Landman added. “We’ve found that a mix is best and I’ve used in on my own vehicle with no ill effects.”
Commending the Saint Lucia team for their efforts, Adam Stewart, deputy chairman of Sandals Resorts, noted: “The work that this team has been doing is nothing short of remarkable. It not only speaks to our commitment to the environment and to reducing our carbon footprint but it also highlights the talent and expertise of our team members who have committed to this project and have reaped commendable results. All the work is being done in house by our team and that alone is incredibly significant.”
Research and testing is expected to continue in St. Lucia with a view to rolling out similar schemes in all islands where Sandals operates.
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