THE Clean Marine Group (CMG) has opened its MARPOL Port Reception Facility in Grand Bahama.

The facility occupies a four-acre site adjacent to the Grand Bahama Shipyard and will repurpose oily waste from vessels visiting The Bahamas. The waste will be converted into Reprocessed Fuel Oil, which can be integrated into the local economy as a more sustainable alternative to virgin fossil fuels.

The facility is capable of processing up to 50,000 tons of oily waste from vessels annually and the reprocessed fuel can be resold, reducing the cost of importing fuel to the Islands.

Robert Speller, general manager for Clean Marine Group, said the $20m project “underscores” the company’s commitment to marine conservation.

“We’re excited to present our forward-thinking MARPOL Port Reception Facility,” he said.

“Our state-of-the-art facility represents a significant investment by Clean Marine of over $20m into Freeport’s maritime infrastructure and underscores our steadfast commitment to marine conservation. By streamlining waste management for vessels, we are reinforcing The Bahamas’ standing as a global frontrunner in sustainable maritime operations.”

The Clean Marine Group won the International Development Bank’s (IDB) Blue Tech Challenge in 2019 for innovation in the Blue Economy. This led to the IDB providing finance to CMG combined with an equity and loan investment from the Mirova Sustainable Ocean Fund and local investors.

Clean Marine’s Environmental Impact Assessment has been approved by both the Grand Bahama Port Authority and The Bahamas Government’s Department of Environment, Planning, and Protection.

Ginger Moxey, Minister for Grand Bahama, said the project aligns with the government’s sustainability goals and will propel Grand Bahama towards becoming the “centre of sustainability”.

She said: “Sustainability is at the very forefront of the government’s agenda. Reaffirming The Bahamas’ role as a signatory to the MARPOL Treaty and its recent commitment under the Green Shipping Challenge is of paramount importance and promotes Freeport to compete on a Global Scale as modern shipping transforms its energy efficiency.

“This project also aligns with the government’s Innovate242 initiative for The Bahamas to become the centre of innovation for the Caribbean and for Grand Bahama to become the centre for sustainability’.”

CMG has expansion plans which include the construction of a dedicated quayside for vessels and extending their operation across a 16-acre plot of land. The expansion will increase their processing capacity and allow for processing of other waste streams from vessels, including most solid and liquid wastes, into cleaner, sustainable alternative fuels, suitable for the modern needs of shipping.

The CMG facility sits adjacent to the Grand Bahama Shipyard that has just announced a $600m expansion.

Rupert Hayward, director of the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA), said the facility is an important and necessary function that continues to put Grand Bahama and Freeport Harbour on a sustainable trajectory, where we can compete with the best ports in the world.”

He said: “This progressive waste management technology will provide critical circular economy services to the shipping and cruise industries, as well as the large oil storage facilities that we have on Grand Bahama, to name just a few. These are exciting times as we expand our blue and green economies for the benefit of all Grand Bahamians and the businesses who currently operate here.”