John W. Stone Oil Distributors Gets Clean Fleet Award
John W. Stone Oil Distributors was recognized with a Clean Fleet Award July 10 by the Regional Planning Commission’s Southeast Louisiana Clean Fuel Partnership for its emissions initiatives. The company, which operates on the Lower Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico, is one of 28 fleets and organizations to receive the award in Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, St. Tammany, and Tangipahoa parishes.
The honorees incorporated alternative fuels, fuel saving technologies and innovative transportation programs in 2017, according to the commission. The Port of New Orleans was also recognized.
The commission said that the fleets’ efforts set two new regional records—reduced traditional fuel consumption by the equivalent of over 4.3 million gasoline gallons and prevented more than 30,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions from being pumped into the air. This is the air quality equivalent of taking 6,521 typical passenger vehicles off the road.
John W. Stone Oil saved approximately 11,323 tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 2017 and had the largest emissions reduction of the top five fleets to receive the award.
To achieve a reduction in its emissions, the company repowered the engines of its fleet from two-stroke Detroit diesels to four-stroke Mitsubishi Tier-2 engines; converted its generator engines from two-stroke Detroit diesel to four-stroke Kubota and John Deere Tier-2 engines; recycled used tires for barge and boat fendering, as well as repurposed used tires for dock fendering; installed shore power for its Gretna, La., vessels and for its customer vessels in Fourchon, La.; and installed LED lighting upgrades on all vessels and at all of its facilities.
The company was also recognized for its emissions initiatives by the city of Gretna, La., during a city council meeting where it presented the “Key to the City of Gretna” honor to John “Johnny” Stone Jr. on September 12.
John W. Stone operates nine facilities along the Mississippi River from Baton Rouge to Venice, La., and inland waterways from Belle Chasse to Cameron, La. The company provides midstreaming and dock services, and supplies customers with fuel, lubricants and water. The company has an expansive fleet of inland towboats and barges, as well as offshore tugs, barges and tankers to resupply offshore customers. It also has six offshore supply base terminals.
