By
Rebecca Gibson |
Northern Europe-based ferry operator Stena Line has decreased fuel consumption by 6.5% and carbon dioxide emissions by 6.2% per nautical mile on its 35 vessels between 2013 and 2016.
According to Stena Line’s A Sustainable Journey report, the operator is focused on four key areas, which are based on the United Nations’ global goals for sustainable development – clean energy, sustainable consumption, life below water, and good health and well-being.
To move towards clean energy, Stena Line aims to reduce carbon emissions per nautical mile by 2.5% annually and a total of 35% between 2010-2030, and to encourage sustainable consumption, it will replace disposable items and plastic bags in 2017-2018. To achieve its life below water goal, the company will halve the use of harsh chemicals by 2020 and completely phase them out by 2030. It will also work to continuously reduce workplace accidents to improve the health and well-being of its employees.
“We are one of the world's leading ferry companies with 27,000 departures per year on our 20 routes,” said Niclas Mårtensson, Stena Line's CEO. “Given the size and scale of our business, we are fully aware of our responsibility to operate in a sustainable way. Our belief is that a reduced environmental impact is also essential for long-term profitability. This is why sustainability is included as a central part of our strategy and why we have set ambitious sustainability targets.”
Stena Line has already implemented around 300 initiatives to reduce fuel consumption and air and sea emissions. These include connect ferries to shore power when in port and launching the world's first methanol-powered ferry, Stena Germanica, in 2015.
“This gives us a strong foundation and signposts the direction for our sustainability efforts ahead,” said Erik Lewenhaupt, Stena Line’s sustainability manager. “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.”
This autumn, China-based AVIC Shipyard will start work on Stena Line’s four ro-pax ferries, which will be the most fuel efficient of their kind in the world. To be delivered between 2019-2020, they will deliver 25% lower carbon dioxide emissions per freight unit compared to today's ferries and they will also be pre-prepared for gas, scrubbers and catalytic reduction systems. The newbuilds will accommodate 1,000 guests and offer a full range of passenger services, as well as more than 3,000 lane metres for vehicles