DC GD69# 6I H:6# - Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics

hat was the key theme to emerge from the latest
meeting of The Environment Club, a forum established
by Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics (WWL)
to promote public discussion about environmental
issues in maritime logistics, held in London,
UK, recently.
The tone was set by WWL CEO Arild Iversen who talked about
the need to take “small steps with a large impact”. “We should
do the small things that can be done today rather than talk about
the grand solutions which may or may not come in the end. We
do not have time to wait for those.”
In that context, he continued, WWL was working with shipping
line owners Wilh. Wilhelmsen and Wallenius Lines to
further develop ideas embodied in the WWL concept cargo vessel
E/S Orcelle which is designed to be operated using sustainable
resources and not produce any emissions. Several projects
based on the E/S Orcelle concept were underway, he said,
including vessel hull design, fuel cell technology, sustainable
propulsion and ballast water treatment to avoid the unwanted
transfer of micro-organisms.
Arild also highlighted WWL’s launch of the Orcelle Fund to
“advance creative ideas directed at developing more sustainable
energy sources” by providing “seed funding for early stage
projects that otherwise would have difficulties finding sources
of financing”. The fund is initially financed by money received
by WWL for winning the 2007 Thor Heyerdahl International
Maritime Environmental Award.
Director, Global Marine Programme, WWF
International, the global conservation organisation, outlined a
series of “12 steps to heaven” which the global shipping industry
should take to improve its environmental performance.
One of those steps, he said, should be to require all ship-
ping companies to develop a policy and action plan
on how to eliminate emissions to the air and comply
with international standards. Another should cover
emissions to sea, with all companies being required
to state full commitment to the IMO ballast water
management convention and bilge water management
regulations.
Jaguar/Landrover’s Director Material
Planning and Logistics highlighted the automotive
manufacturing group’s commitment to protecting
the environment by first outlining the increasingly
‘green’ design of its vehicles, backed by the implementation
of CO 2 offset programmes around the
world, and then focusing on his efforts to switch
more products from road to rail.
Kevin Wall, said railheads established at two UK production
plants were used to move export vehicles to UK
ports to connect with ro-ro shipping services. Overall,
he continued, Jaguar/Land Rover had so far managed
to switch the transport of 100,000–120,000 units out
of an annual near 300,000 vehicles produced, onto the
railways – saving around 5.5 million UK road miles (8.9
million kilometres) a year.
Wall also suggested environmental considerations
would become an increasing important issue for
Jaguar/Land Rover in future business discussions with
logistics service suppliers. “They are likely to become
a significant element of the specifications in our next
round of our contract negotiations,” he predicted.