Stena Line Says Sustainability Goals Paying Off
“Our belief is that a reduced environmental impact is also essential for long-term profitability,” said Stena Line's CEO, Niclas Mårtensson. “This is why sustainability is included as a central part of our strategy and why we have set ambitious sustainability targets.”
Stena Line, a ferry operator serving Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the U.K., said its increased strategic focus on sustainability and environmental improvements over recent years is paying off.
Key measurement data has shown that between 2013-2016 Stena Line managed to decrease fuel consumption by 6.5 percent and carbon dioxide emissions by 6.2 percent per nautical mile, as reported in Stena Line’s new publication, “A Sustainable Journey.”
Through the years Stena Line’s experience in investing in energy efficiency transport has been extensive. An example: the launch of the world's first methanol-powered ferry, Stena Germanica, in 2015. Another: connecting ferries to shore power when in port. These are two of some 300 initiatives which Stena Line has implemented to reduce fuel consumption and emissions to sea and air involving the ferry company’s 35 vessels.
“We are one of the world's leading ferry companies with 27,000 departures per year on our 20 routes. Given the size and scale of our business, we are fully aware of our responsibility to operate in a sustainable way,” Mårtensson said.
And reduced fuel consumption and carbon emissions are just examples of Stena Line’s efforts to achieve its vision of Connecting Europe for a Sustainable Future. “A Sustainable Journey” also presents information on targets the company is setting for itself for a more sustainable future.
The sustainability focus is being targeted into four key strategic areas based on the UN global goals for sustainable development: clean energy, sustainable consumption, life below water as well as good health and wellbeing. Within each focus area a number of specific goals have been set for the short and long term, including:
- Clean energy …reduce carbon emissions per nautical mile by 2.5 percent annually and a total of 35 percent between 2010-2030.
- Sustainable consumption … replace disposable items and plastic bags onboard during 2017-2018.
- Life below water … halve the use of harsh chemicals by 2020 and completely phase them out by 2030.
- Good health and wellbeing … continuously reduce workplace accidents to the target 1.2 LTIF (Lost Time Injury Frequency) 2017.
Erik Lewenhaupt, Stena Line’s Sustainability Manager, said, “This gives us a strong foundation and signposts the direction for our sustainability efforts ahead. In the coming year, we will launch a number of major new projects primarily in the areas of clean energy and sustainable consumption. Tests with battery power on one of our ferries and biodegradable bags onboard are just two exciting projects in the pipeline.”
In the Autumn of 2017 the construction of Stena Line's new RoPax vessels will start in China. The new ships are scheduled to be delivered between 2019-2020 and will be among the most fuel efficient RoPax vessels in the world. The new vessels will also be pre-prepared for gas, scrubbers and catalytic reduction systems.