Copenhagen, 8 August – The Sea Cargo Charter (SCC) is pleased to announce the addition of South32 as its newest signatory. Headquartered in Australia, South32 is a globally diversified mining and metals company. South32 produces commodities including bauxite, alumina, aluminium, copper, silver, lead, zinc, nickel, metallurgical coal and manganese from operations in Australia, Southern Africa and South America.
“With the inclusion of South32, the Sea Cargo Charter now represents over 20% of bulk goods transported by sea annually, marking a significant milestone in our growth and influence,” said Sea Cargo Charter chair, Rasmus Bach Nielsen, global head of fuel decarbonisation at Trafigura. “This demonstrates our collective commitment to promoting sustainable shipping practices across the industry.”
Maritime freight is an integral part of South32’s supply chain. The company has a long-term goal to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions across scope 1, 2 and 3 by 2050 and a medium-term target to halve operational GHG emissions by 2035, compared to its FY21 baseline.
“Joining the Sea Cargo Charter is another step in our decarbonisation journey,” said Matthew Gillespie, Vice President, Head of Marketing at South32. “By aligning to the Sea Cargo Charter’s global framework, we can better track our decarbonisation progress against the International Maritime Organization’s decarbonisation trajectory and our net zero goal.”
In its 2023 Sustainability Development Report, South32 highlighted its ongoing efforts to reduce emissions from shipping, which include monitoring emissions data to understand costs and identify opportunities for increased efficiencies in shipping products and raw materials economically and responsibly. Additionally, South32 is partnering with suppliers and collaborating with customers to further GHG emissions reduction efforts throughout the value chain.
“The inclusion of South32 is another testament to the Sea Cargo Charter’s goal of a collaborative approach and ambition to enhance transparency in shipping emissions, fostering an environment where decarbonisation can thrive,” said Sea Cargo Charter vice chair Eman Abdalla, global operations & supply chain director at Cargill Ocean Transportation.
As a global framework to assess and disclose the climate alignment of ship chartering activities, the Sea Cargo Charter aims to reduce global shipping’s annual greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by around 2050. This initiative aligns with the goals of the International Maritime Organization, the United Nations agency responsible for regulating global shipping. Its recent scope expansion to fully include ship owners underscores its ambitions.
About the Sea Cargo Charter
The Sea Cargo Charter is a global framework for assessing and disclosing the climate alignment of chartering activities. It establishes a common, global baseline to quantitatively assess and disclose whether chartering activities are in line with climate goals set by the UN maritime agency, the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The IMO revised greenhouse gas (GHG) strategy adopted during MEPC80 in July 2023 sets a new ambition to reach net-zero GHG emissions from international shipping by or around, i.e. close to, 2050. The Sea Cargo Charter has recently aligned its ambition with these latest goals by agreeing to report in 2024 and onwards against (i) a full decarbonisation target in 2050, (ii) interim targets in 2030 and 2040 and (iii) the consideration of lifecycle emissions of fuels including further greenhouse gas (GHG) species.
The Sea Cargo Charter is one of three initiatives based on the same four Principles and developed with the Global Maritime Forum. Together with the Poseidon Principles and the Poseidon Principles for Marine Insurance, they share a common objective: fostering transparency on emissions reporting with the aim of contributing to reducing carbon emissions. Learn more.
GMF Media contact:
- Molly P. Hannon, Senior Communications Manager
- M: +45 53 76 67 87
- E: mph@globalmaritimeforum.org
South32 Media contact:
- Miles Godfrey, Media Relations
- M: +61 415 325 906
- E: miles.godfrey@south32.net
