Suzuki Marine embarks on long-haul sustainable fuel journey
Suzuki Marine USA will embark on an important journey beginning Tuesday, April 18, setting out from Jacksonville, Florida on a nearly 800-mile journey by water to Washington D.C., where the 259 Sea Pro center console will be highlighted in an on-the-water display during the 2023 American Boating Congress, May 8-10.
This is no “ordinary” 800-mile over-water journey, however, as the boat — powered by twin DF140 Four-Stroke outboard motors featuring Suzuki’s standard equipment Micro Plastic Collecting Device — will make the voyage exclusively on EcoGen 90 sustainable marine fuel. Along with way, the Suzuki crew will make stops at key dealerships, marinas, and other locations, promoting the benefits of a new generation of fuels that deliver increased sustainability, significantly reduced emissions, and reliability and maintenance advantages in the marine environment. This vessel — sporting a bold SUZUKI CLEAN OCEAN PROJECT wrap and Sustainable Marine Fuels graphics — will be used by Suzuki Marine and the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) for on-water demonstration rides during the American Boating Congress event.
“There are roughly 12 million gasoline powered boats across America today, so it’s important to emphasize to the boating industry, our government representatives and consumers coast to coast that there are viable ways available right now for boating to reduce its overall environmental footprint,” said George “Gus” Blakely, Suzuki Marine Executive Vice President Sales & Service. “We thought that making a voyage from our home state of Florida to our nation’s capitol — running exclusively on sustainable fuel — would be a great way to call attention to this. We will also be using our boat in conjunction with NMMA to demonstrate the benefits of this new class of marine fuels to state and federal government representatives participating in the American Boating Congress meetings and discussions,” added Blakely.
The long journey itself will also provide Suzuki Marine and the NMMA with a wealth of engine data using this new fuel for detailed study and analysis. On a daily basis, Suzuki crewmembers will also be cleaning out the twin motors’ Micro Plastic Collecting Devices — part of this innovative outboard motor’s cooling system — and sending the collected micro plastic material and other pollution to Suzuki headquarters in Japan for study. This journey will provide the chance to monitor and better understand how this environmental challenge affects America’s Intercoastal Waterway and navigable rivers.
“As a leading manufacturer of outboard motors with an all 4-stroke lineup from 2.5 to 350 horsepower, Suzuki Marine is serious about two things — meeting the needs of today’s evolving boating industry, while also exploring new ways to protect our planet’s fragile marine ecosystems. This can be seen in our global CLEAN OCEAN PROJECT initiatives, our efforts to reduce the use of plastics across our business, grass-roots coastal cleanup efforts and our Micro Plastic Collecting Device that comes standard on some of our most popular engines. With this in mind, we will continue to work with the NMMA, boat builders and other industry stakeholders to evaluate new, cleaner marine fuels and promote their use among boaters everywhere,” Blakely said.
