Towards Sustainable Shipping
DFDS’s environmental policy
We are committed to continually developing our operations and activities towards lower energy consumption and less impact on the environment.
We will continually monitor and analyse our energy consumption and our impact on the environment within the framework of ISO 14001 certification.
We will disseminate knowledge of our environmental policy among our staff and management in order to ensure a higher degree of awareness about environmental issues. We will constantly develop and extend our knowledge and technical expertise in order to ensure continual progress towards more sustainable operations.
Laws and regulations
The marine environment is protected by both national and international laws and regulations. We respect and support the continued development of measures designed to facilitate progress towards more sustainable shipping.
Emissions
CO2 is the most common greenhouse gas, and the volume emitted rises or falls proportionally with fuel consumption. The most effective means of reducing CO2 emissions is therefore to reduce the consumption of bunkers per transported unit.
Reduction of consumption of bunkers
DFDS has initiated a project designed to reduce the consumption of bunkers, and therefore emissions of CO2 into the atmosphere. The project consists of a whole series of technical and operational initiatives, as well as the ongoing registration of consumption. Technical initiatives include, for example, improved engine efficiency, the recycling of excess heat and better management of onboard energy consumption.
The operational aspect involves changing departure and arrival times in order to reduce the ships’ service speed as much as possible, which will therefore reduce the consumption of bunkers. The consumption of bunkers was lowered by approximately 4% in 2008 than in 2007.
Concentration of volumes provide environmental advantages
In addition, the Group's long-term goal is to move the fleet towards bigger ships. Concentrating freight volumes on larger but fewer vessels will also reduce energy consumption and emissions per transported unit.
Targets for reductions
Since 2007, DFDS has been operating with a five-year target to reduce emissions of CO2 by 10%.
Sulphur
The amount of sulphur particles emitted by ships' engines depends not only on the volume of fuel consumed but also on its sulphur content. In 2006, following international legislation, the permitted sulphur level in fuel oil for vessels in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea was reduced to 1.5%, compared to 4.5% elsewhere. The targets are regularly reassessed, and the IMO has set a new limit for sulphur content. From 2015, the limit will be 0.1% in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, compared to 0.5% elsewhere.
Concerted efforts are also being made to find alternative means of reducing ships' sulphur emissions. One possibility is to install “scrubbers” in the ships’ funnels, which strip the sulphur out of waste gas.
DFDS is taking part in a development project for a newly designed scrubber, which will be installed on a North Sea freight ship in summer 2009. The scrubber method offers certain advantages, as uncertainty exists about the availability and reliability of supplies of fuel oil with a maximum sulphur content of 0.1%, as well as about the price level. A scrubber will make it possible to purchase oil with a higher sulphur content. In addition, provisional test results suggest that the method may have additional environmental advantages, as it also removes particles from the waste gas.
Antifouling paint
The previously used types of antifouling paints, which contained tin and emitted environmentally damaging heavy metals into the marine environment, are no longer permitted. DFDS is currently replacing its antifouling paint with a new type of silicone-based paint. This is not only environmentally friendly, but also reduces the ships' friction in the water, which in turn reduces energy consumption and emissions.
Sewage emissions
DFDS’s ships are fitted with biological cleansing units that biodegrade the sewage generated by onboard water consumption. The sewage is then collected in tanks and later discharged away from coastal and particularly sensitive sea areas, which minimises the impact on the marine environment.
As appropriate units are set up to receive the waste, and as improved cleansing and storage facilities are developed on new ships, DFDS expects to introduce new procedures, including pumping sewage onshore.
Noise
DFDS is actively involved in efforts to reduce noise pollution from ships calling at and docking in ports in areas with noise-sensitive environments. In particular, technical improvements are being developed in the form of noise insulation for engines and ramps. Attempts are also being made to reduce noise by changing routines wherever possible. Noise will be easier to address in future, as architects will focus on noise reduction in the early stages of vessel construction.
Information
In order to improve environmental awareness, DFDS issued the information pack “DFDS & the Environment” to all members of staff in 2008. It describes the Group's environmental policy, and outlines initiatives to reduce the company's environmental impact. The pack also describes ways in which individual members of staff can help to reduce the impact on the environment.
Future work in the environment
Work on reducing the environmental impact of the Group’s activities will continue as the environmental policy is developed. As part of this process, work has commenced on co-ordinating efforts across the business areas and in the different countries in order to ensure a coherent and consistent approach to environmental work. Several subsidiaries now have their own environmental certification. The eventual aim is to collate certification in order to achieve quantifiable, objective indicators of progress towards an increasingly sustainable company at Group level.