Best of British partnership for eco-steamer

At Bedmax we strive to be as sustainable as possible and we are so pleased to be supplying Thames Steamers Limited with Hotmax to fuel their boat, ‘Alaska’, the oldest working passenger steamer on the Thames.

Thames Steamers Limited wanted to make their operation as sustainable and environmentally friendly as possible. The boiler of the boat was traditionally fired using coal but, since 2008, the company have used high density wood briquettes as fuel. As a result of this the operations of ‘Alaska’ are now more sustainable and carbon neutral. In fact, they are saving approximately 15 tonnes of CO2 emissions a year!

Peter Green – Owner of Thames Valley Steamers: “We have found the quality, to be consistent, it burns well, we can purchase it locally and it British made from a waste product. It ticks all of the boxes.”

Alaska’ was built in 1883 and is part of the national historic fleet. Currently operated as a Class V passenger boat on the Thames offering both public trips and chartered events, in 2009 it was selected as the ‘Royal Barge’ to take Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to witness the ancient ceremony of ‘swan upping’.

It has also been used to transport The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh to some of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Our Hotmax fuel logs are made of 100% recycled natural wood dust which is a by-product of the manufacture of Bedmax shavings. All the wood we use is responsibly sourced from sustainable British forestry and for every tree that is cut down another one is planted. The fuel logs are a great alternative to kiln dried logs as they produce very low emissions due to being virtually smokeless.