Maersk Line: Business Up, Emissions Down in 2013

The arrival of four Triple E ships helped improve efficiency

Maersk Line says it reduced its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 3.8 million tonnes in 2013, even as its business grew by 4.1 percent.

"Our fuel efficiency improvements helped cut CO2 as well as air pollutants like SOx and NOx," said CEO Søren Skou.

"So even while our business grew, we were able to reduce our environmental impact in absolute terms."

The company said the main driver for the reduction in CO2 was a major overhaul of its network, while it also improved overall efficiency by adding the first four of its 20 Triple-E vessels.

Market Line's head of sustainability, Jacob Sterling, also addressed the new limits on sulfur emissions in European Emissions Control Areas (ECAs), saying that while the company supports the new rules, it wants to ensure that they are properly enforced so that scofflaws do not gain an unfair advantage.

"The new regulation will be costly and without proper enforcement, some might be tempted to cut corners," he said.

"This will erode the environmental improvements and create a commercial disadvantage for those that follow the rules."

Sterling also said sustainability is increasingly serving as a selling point with customers who have promised stakeholders that they will improve their environmental footprint.

"Large customers representing 19% of our business have requested tailored sustainability information as part of their business relationship with us," he said.

"We are proud to move their goods with a lower environmental impact year by year, thereby helping them deliver on their sustainability promises."

Overall, Maersk Line says its customers reduced CO2 emissions by 2.6 million tonnes by using the company rather than an average competitor in 2013.

Skou said recently that saving fuel is a key part of the company's cost-containment strategy as well as a means of reducing emissions.