Hong Kong’s Pacific Basin Shipping company announced that it will be joining the increasing number of shipping lines using carbon offset credits and offering the customers the opportunity to go carbon neutral for its operations. The dry bulk shipping company reports that it has begun offsetting the carbon emissions for its global shore-side operations, including crew travel, employees commuting, and all office activities.
“In addition to pledging net zero-carbon emissions from our global shore-side operations, we will offer our cargo customers the opportunity to voluntarily purchase carbon credits to offset carbon emissions from the transportation of their cargoes on Pacific Basin vessels starting in 2021,” said Mats Berglund, CEO of Pacific Basin.
To facilitate the carbon offsets, Pacific Basin has partnered with CLP Innovation Enterprises Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hong Kong-headquartered power company CLP Holdings Limited. CLP is supplying Pacific Basin’s carbon emissions offset program with carbon credits derived from CLP’s wind farms in India.
The shipping line said that its purchase of CLP carbon credits will help to support CLP’s renewable energy operations and related community projects in India. The projects in India include a focus on sustainable agriculture, food, and water security, female empowerment, healthcare, and education.
Pacific Basin said that the program it would offer shippers is similar to carbon offsetting that airlines offer to their passengers. As commodity producers, traders, and end-users become increasingly interested in mitigating the environmental footprint of their activities, they are also likely to become more interested in offsetting emissions from the transportation of their products Pacific Basin said.
Pacific Basin currently operates approximately 235 Handysize and Supramax dry bulk ships, of which 116 are owned and the others are chartered.
Source: Maritime Executive
