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At the first annual meeting of the Sea Cargo Charter Association on 11 March 2021, 13 members were elected to the Steering Committee to coordinate the Association on behalf of its members.

 

22 March 2021 – The Sea Cargo Charter provides a global framework for aligning chartering activities with responsible environmental behavior to promote international shipping’s decarbonization. During its first annual meeting on 11 March 2021, 13 members were appointed to the Steering Committee, which is tasked with supporting the Sea Cargo Charter Association in decision-making processes and future reviews for improvement. 

Jan Dieleman was elected as Chair of the Steering Committee. Rasmus Bach Nielsen was elected as Vice Chair of the Steering Committee. Claire Wright was elected Treasurer of the Steering Committee. 

Jan Dieleman and Rasmus Bach Nielsen previously acted as interim Chair and Vice Chair, respectively, and played an important role in the establishment of the Sea Cargo Charter. Their appointment to their official roles will help ensure continuity in the Sea Cargo Charter Association’s activities. 

Alessio La Rosa, Engebret Dahm, Eva Birgitte Bisgaard, Hans Christian Jensen, Heidi Aakre, Jürgen Willemsen, Maria Damkær, Peter Lye, Seb Landerretche, and Sebastien Roche were elected as new members of the Steering Committee. 

“I welcome all my newly appointed colleagues to the Steering Committee and look forward to working with them to ensure that the Sea Cargo Charter remains true to its mission of promoting responsible environmental stewardship in chartering activities and throughout the maritime value chain,” says Jan Dieleman, President, Cargill Ocean Transportation and Chair of the Sea Cargo Charter Association. 

Hereafter, the Steering Committee consists of:
Jan Dieleman (Chair), Rasmus Bach Nielsen (Vice Chair), Claire Wright (Treasurer), Alessio La Rosa, Engebret Dahm, Eva Birgitte Bisgaard, Hans Christian Jensen, Heidi Aakre, Jürgen Willemsen, Maria Damkær, Peter Lye, Seb Landerretche, Sebastien Roche. 

More information about the members of the Steering Committee is available here. 

For further information, contact Head of Communications, Torben Vemmelund at tve@globalmaritimeforum.org or +45 2224 1446. 

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 UN maritime agency, the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The IMO’s initial GHG strategy prescribes that international shipping must reduce its total annual greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% of 2008 levels by 2050, whilst pursuing efforts towards phasing them out as soon as possible in this century. 

The Sea Cargo Charter sets a new benchmark for responsible shipping, transparent climate reporting, and improved decision making in line with United Nations decarbonization targets.

 

07 October 2020 – A group of the world’s largest energy, agriculture, mining, and commodity trading companies will for the first time assess and disclose the climate alignment of their shipping activities.

United Nations agencies estimate the international shipping industry to carry around 80% of world trade flows and to be responsible for 2-3% of global greenhouse gas emissions annually.

Large industrial corporations are significant users of international shipping services. The shipping of crude oil, coal, iron ore, grain and other bulk commodities used worldwide make up over 80% of global seaborne trade. The Sea Cargo Charter is a global framework that allows for the integration of climate considerations into chartering decisions to favor climate-aligned maritime transport.

The Sea Cargo Charter establishes a common baseline to quantitatively assess and disclose whether shipping activities are aligned with adopted climate goals. The Sea Cargo Charter is consistent with the policies and ambitions adopted by member states of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for regulating shipping. This includes its ambition for greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping to peak as soon as possible and to reduce shipping’s total annual greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% of 2008 levels by 2050, with a strong emphasis on zero emissions.

“A standard greenhouse gas emissions reporting process will simplify some of the complexities often associated with reporting. It will encourage a more transparent and consistent approach to tracking emissions, which will be a critical part of making shipping more sustainable,” says Jan Dieleman, President, Cargill Ocean Transportation and Chair of the Sea Cargo Charter drafting group.

“The shipping industry as a whole needs to adopt a transparent approach, advocated by the Sea Cargo Charter, in order to fully understand the sector’s overall greenhouse gas footprint and for us to collectively rise to the challenges faced,” says Rasmus Bach Nielsen, Global Head Fuel Decarbonisation, Trafigura.

“The Sea Cargo Charter is an important step in laying the foundations for a net-zero emissions shipping industry. Collaboration such as this, from across the sector, is vital to scale-up customer demand for low- or zero- emissions shipping. This same spirit of collaboration is also vital in the pursuit of the technological advances needed to unlock decarbonisation solutions, and in building industry support for regulation which can create an ambitious but level-playing field under which to invest. Building on this momentum we would like the IMO to use its 2023 strategy review to set the trajectory for the sector to move to net-zero emissions by 2050,” says Grahaeme Henderson, Global Head, Shell Shipping & Maritime.

The 17 Founding Signatories of the Sea Cargo Charter include ADM, Anglo American, Bunge, Cargill Ocean Transportation, COFCO International, Dow, Equinor, Gunvor Group, Klaveness Combination Carriers, Louis Dreyfus Company, Norden, Occidental, Shell, Torvald Klaveness, Total, Trafigura, and Ørsted. All other responsible shippers are invited to join the initiative.

“The Sea Cargo Charter enables leaders from diverse industry sectors to use their influence to drive change and promote shipping’s green transition by choosing maritime transport that is aligned with agreed climate targets over that which is not,” says Johannah Christensen, Managing Director, Head of Projects & Programmes at international non-profit, Global Maritime Forum.

The Sea Cargo Charter is intended to evolve over time as the IMO adjusts its policies and regulations and when further adverse environmental and social impacts are identified for inclusion. They also aim to support other initiatives developed to address climate, environment, and social risks in shipping, such as the Poseidon Principles.

The Sea Cargo Charter is applicable to bulk charterers with interest in the cargo on board; those who simply charter out the vessels they charter in; as well as the disponent owners and all charterers in a charterparty chain. They apply globally, to all chartering activities where a vessel or vessels fall under the purview of the IMO.

The development of the Sea Cargo Charter has been led by global shippers – Anglo American, Cargill Ocean Transportation, Dow, Norden, Total, Trafigura – and leading industry players – Euronav, Gorrissen Federspiel, Stena Bulk – with expert support provided by the Global Maritime Forum, Smart Freight Centre, University College London Energy Institute/UMAS, and Stephenson Harwood.

See full press release here.

For further information: Head of Communications, Torben Vemmelund at tve@globalmaritimeforum.org or +45 2224 1446.