Logsitics Company: Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics Wins Clean Seas Award

Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics has won the ‘Clean Seas Award' at the prestigious 2007 Lloyd's List Awards for its continuing efforts to reduce the environmental impact of its deep sea operations. It was the only shipping company to be short listed for the award.

The award citation acknowledges that the company significantly cut its sulphur dioxide emissions over a five year period. In 2004 Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics became the first major shipping company in the world to use low sulphur fuel. It is the second year running the company has won the award.

The Lloyd's List Clean Seas award is given "to honour an institution, firm or individual who has made a recognizable contribution to the fight towards reducing the pollution of our oceans from maritime sources."

To date, the company's tough environmental policy has saved the world from 75,550 tons* of sulphur dioxide emissions in a six year period between 2001 and 2006 – a 33.6% reduction. This is equivalent to the amount of sulphur dioxide that London†, a city of over seven million people, emitted into the atmosphere over a five year period.

Lena Blomqvist, Vice President, Environment, said: "This award is important to us because it encapsulates all that we aspire to – a cleaner logistics environment where eco-friendly ships sail the seas.

"Our owners, Wallenius Lines of Sweden and Wilh. Wilhelmsen of Norway, have a high environmental focus and the investments they have made in our company have been instrumental in enabling us to achieve our environmental goals to aspire to a greener future for our children and children's children," commented Mrs Blomqvist.

The Clean Seas Award also acknowledged the innovative and technological steps that the company has taken including launching its ‘green' concept-ship for the future", E/S Orcelle, designed to produce no emissions into the air or the sea by using renewable energy sources, including the sun, wind and waves.

Other measures taken by the company, with the help of its owners, include trialling of the first commercially viable system ballast water treatment system, called PureBallast, an advanced oxidation technology system designed to prevent micro organisms being transplanted from one region to another.

In 2004, Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics signed a three year sponsorship with WWF, the global environment organisation, to help preserve and protect the high seas. WWF has developed proposals for ships' routing systems around Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas (PSSA), devising better oil spill response plans and providing national ballast water guidelines and support for the WWF- Norway's contribution to the development of two new laws improving the marine environment in Norway.

For further information, please contact:

Robert Minton-Taylor
Media Relations Manager
Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics
(United Kingdom, GMT)
Tel +44 1535 634 634
Mobile +44 7947 818 816
Home +44 1535 630 483
Email: robert.minton-taylor@2wglobal.com

SOURCE: Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics