---
title: "Supply of HVO fuel to RRS Discovery and RRS James Cook September 2026"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06eff0"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06eff0"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06eff0.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06eff0.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "National Oceanography Centre"
published: "2026-09-16"
---

# Supply of HVO fuel to RRS Discovery and RRS James Cook September 2026

Buyer: National Oceanography Centre  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06eff0

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## Summary

The National Oceanography Centre procured hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) fuel for its research vessels RRS Discovery and RRS James Cook. The requirement covered two bunker deliveries by road tanker to the vessels at their berths in Southampton and Cardiff, with an estimated combined volume of approximately 803,000 litres. The fuel had to meet EN 15940 and marine regulatory requirements, including a sulphur content below 5 ppm, a minimum 60°C flash point and a cold filter plugging point of -15°C or lower. It had to use used cooking oil feedstock only, exclude palm-derived materials and animal fats, and meet specified greenhouse-gas savings. Each delivery also required fuel samples, analysis, safety and sustainability documentation, including ISCC or RFAS certification.

The procurement is complete and was awarded on 1 September 2026 to Standard Fuel Oils Limited as one contract covering both deliveries. The contract was signed on 15 September 2026 and runs from 15 to 22 September 2026. Its awarded value is £1,300,297.90 gross. The buyer used a direct award under the commodity-goods justification, following a competitive quotation exercise conducted on a best-and-final basis. Suppliers could price either delivery separately or both together, and the award was based on the Most Advantageous Tender: the aggregate delivery prices were compared with the combined price. The contract was treated as one completed lot, with each delivery separately referenced and accepted.

This procurement indicates recurring demand from the National Oceanography Centre for marine-grade HVO supplied into operational ports. A credible future supplier would need reliable access to EN 15940-compliant fuel made exclusively from used cooking oil, with demonstrable greenhouse-gas performance, biogenic-carbon testing and recognised sustainability certification. It would also need registration on the Maritime and Coastguard Agency Local Fuel Oil Suppliers Register and a current Public Procurement Organisation Number. Strong delivery capability is important: the requirement involved road-tanker bunkering at different ports on consecutive days, coordinated with vessel berth windows and potentially changing vessel schedules. Suppliers would need robust logistics, short-notice resilience and complete delivery documentation, including Certificates of Analysis, Bunker Delivery Notes, MARPOL declarations, samples, safety data and sustainability evidence.

## Notice

Supply of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fuel to two National Oceanography Centre research vessels by way of two bunker deliveries at two ports on consecutive days. The contract is to be awarded to Standard Fuel Oils Limited as a single contract covering both deliveries, each performed against its own delivery reference. Delivery D-01: RRS Discovery (IMO No. 9588029). Estimated quantity 252 m3 (252,000 litres). Required delivery date 15 September 2026. Delivery D-02: RRS James Cook (IMO No. 9338242). Estimated quantity 430 metric tonnes, approximately 551,000 litres. Required delivery date 16 September 2026. Aggregate estimated quantity approximately 803,000 litres. All quantities are estimates. Payment will be made solely on the actual quantity delivered against each delivery reference, as evidenced by the Bunker Delivery Note for that delivery and by the actual density recorded on the Certificate of Analysis at 15 degrees Celsius. No minimum or maximum quantity is guaranteed and the contract value stated is therefore indicative. Delivery is by road tank wagon (RTW) to each vessel at its stated berth. The exact delivery window and operational hours for each delivery will be confirmed to the supplier in writing no later than five days before delivery. Fuel must comply with EN 15940 and must be derived from used cooking oil (UCO) feedstock only, with no palm oil, palm oil sludge, POME, or animal fats. Sulphur content must comply with MARPOL Annex VI and the applicable MCA requirements, at less than 5 mg/kg (5 ppm). Flash point must be not less than 60 degrees Celsius, in line with SOLAS. CFPP must be minus 15 degrees Celsius or lower. Greenhouse gas emissions intensity of 15.86 gCO2e/MJ with a minimum 83 per cent saving against fossil diesel, and biogenic carbon (C14) testing on all imports. Fuel is to be supplied on a non-obligated basis in line with the requirements for marine research use. The supplier is registered on the Maritime and Coastguard Agency Local Fuel Oil Suppliers Register as compliant with MARPOL Annex VI, and is registered on the Central Digital Platform with a current Public Procurement Organisation Number. At the time of each bunkering the supplier must provide the fuel specification, representative fuel samples, a Technical Data Sheet with Certificate of Analysis, and a Safety Data Sheet to the Chief Engineer. A Bunker Delivery Note must be provided in the MARPOL Annex VI Appendix V format, stating quantity in metric tonnes, carrying the supplier's signed declaration that the fuel meets the fuel quality requirements of MARPOL Annex VI Regulation 18, together with the sulphur content statement and the flash point statement. A representative MARPOL fuel sample must be drawn, labelled and sealed in accordance with MARPOL Annex VI. The following sustainability documentation is required for each delivery: proof of sustainability of the biofuel component, certified under either ISCC or RFAS 2 Heat-Power-Marine (RSB is not required), a biofuel delivery statement, and the greenhouse gas emissions data for the fuel supplied. The requirement was competed through a competitive quotation exercise on a best and final basis. Suppliers were invited to price each delivery on the basis that it might be awarded alone, and separately to price both deliveries taken together, and were permitted to bid for one delivery only without disadvantage. Award is made on the basis of the Most Advantageous Tender, tested by comparing the aggregate of the individual delivery prices against the price offered for both deliveries together. Award of both deliveries to a single supplier is the most advantageous outcome available. A transparency notice was published in advance of this notice under reference 2026PRNOC-1244.

### Procurement Information

HVO fuel is a standardised commodity product defined by EN 15940, a published European technical standard for paraffinic diesel fuels. The specification for this requirement is set entirely by that market standard and by regulatory compliance obligations (EU and MCA sulphur content regulations), rather than by any buyer preference or bespoke requirement. Any supplier able to deliver EN 15940-compliant HVO with the required sustainability certifications (ISCC/RSB) is capable of fulfilling the contract, and the product itself is not meaningfully differentiable between compliant suppliers. The justification in paragraph 10 of Schedule 5 to the Procurement Act 2023 applies where a contract is for goods purchased on a commodity market. It does not require that the contracting authority buy the goods on a commodity market or transact through a commodity exchange. It requires only that the contract is for goods of a kind purchased on a commodity market, which this contract pertains to. The requirement was competed through a competitive quote exercise conducted among multiple suppliers, with award made on the basis of best price received. The fuel is required for the operational bunkering of RRS Discovery at Southampton ahead of a scheduled departure, making this a time-critical requirement. For these reasons, the procurement qualifies for direct award under the commodities justification: the goods are traded on a commodity market, the specification is determined by an established market standard, and the authority has nonetheless conducted a competitive process to secure best value.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/087619-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Goods |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Direct award |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 16 Sep 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 1 Sep 2026 |
| Contract period | 15 Sep 2026 - 22 Sep 2026 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £1,300,297 |
| Contracts value | £1,300,297 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | National Oceanography Centre |
| Locality | SOUTHAMPTON |
| Postcode area | Southampton |
| Postcode | SO14 3ZH |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLJ3 Hampshire and Isle of Wight |
| ITL 3 | TLJ32 Southampton |
| Local authority | Southampton |
| Electoral ward | Bargate |
| Westminster constituency | Southampton Itchen |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | Standard Fuel Oils Ltd |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 09 - Petroleum products, fuel, electricity and other sources of energy

### Codes

- 09100000 - Fuels

## Release History

- 16 Sep 2026 at 10:14 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/087619-2026
- 1 Sep 2026 at 16:49 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/082846-2026
- 1 Sep 2026 at 16:41 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/082840-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/087619-2026
  16th September 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/082846-2026
  1st September 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/082840-2026
  1st September 2026 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://standardfueloils.co.uk
- https://noc.ac.uk/
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06eff0. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06eff0.json.