UECC joins UN Global Compact

United European Car Carriers (UECC), a Norway-based provider of shortsea RoRo transportation, has joined the United Nations Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative.

The UN Global Compact is a voluntary platform where close to ten thousand corporations and organizations in 160 countries develop, implement and share best practices in sustainable and responsible business.

“We are proud to invest time and resources in a global initiative for business conduct and corporate governance that is ethical and sustainable, where people and planet are at the centre for how businesses are run. Sustainable development is desired by our parent companies, our management group, and praised by all our employees,” Glenn Edvardsen, CEO of UECC, commented.

“The principles of UN Global Compact initiative are in line with how we have conducted our business for years already, and we will ensure that we continue to comply with these guidelines, and raise the bar together with global businesses of all sizes and shapes,” he continued.

According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), carbon dioxide emissions from shipping were equal to 2.2 percent of the global human-made emissions in 2012, and are expected to rise 50 to 250 percent by 2050 if no actions were taken. This has led to the creation of many industry-led programs to reduce the negative impact. Shipping companies all over the world are taking action to commission and operate ships that are more carbon-neutral.

Edvardsen believes that the maritime industry has a long way to go towards a more carbon-neutral future. UECC has for several years invested substantially in upgrading its fleet to run on more sustainable fuels, using LNG and biofuel instead of traditional marine oil fuel.

The company has partnered with Goodships and BMW Group to reduce CO₂ emissions on shipments by 80-90% and is the first to introduce RoRo ships that will operate as dual-fuel and battery-powered hybrids.

With three new ships soon to be deployed, UECC’s owned fleet of dual-fuel and battery-powered hybrids will represent more than 50%.

 “When our third battery-hybrid LNG ship is delivered in 2020, we will be the proud owners of the most sustainable fleet in our market in Europe. The new battery-hybrid solution will also ensure that UECC goes beyond the IMO target of 40% reduction in carbon intensity by 2030,” Edvardsen further said.

By switching to LNG and biofuel on one of its vessels, UECC has calculated CO₂ reductions of 27,019 metric tonnes of CO₂ since 2016.

“We will decarbonise our fleet as soon as we are able to, and help the shipping industry comply with the standards of tomorrow. By joining this UN-program, we demonstrate our commitment to run our business in the best possible manner, continue to reduce the carbon footprint of our existing tonnage, and keep meeting the shipping standards of tomorrow,” Daniel Gent, Energy and Sustainability Manager at UECC, said.