Hong Kong’s Pacific Basin Shipping company announced that it
will be joining the increasing number of shipping lines using carbon offset
credits and offering the customers the opportunity to go carbon neutral for its
operations. The dry bulk shipping company reports that it has begun offsetting
the carbon emissions for its global shore-side operations, including crew
travel, employees commuting, and all office activities.
“In addition to pledging net zero-carbon emissions from our
global shore-side operations, we will offer our cargo customers the opportunity
to voluntarily purchase carbon credits to offset carbon emissions from the
transportation of their cargoes on Pacific Basin vessels starting in 2021,”
said Mats Berglund, CEO of Pacific Basin.
To facilitate the carbon offsets, Pacific Basin has
partnered with CLP Innovation Enterprises Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Hong Kong-headquartered power company CLP Holdings Limited. CLP is supplying
Pacific Basin’s carbon emissions offset program with carbon credits derived
from CLP’s wind farms in India.
The shipping line said that its purchase of CLP carbon
credits will help to support CLP’s renewable energy operations and related
community projects in India. The projects in India include a focus on
sustainable agriculture, food, and water security, female empowerment,
healthcare, and education.
Pacific Basin said that the program it would offer shippers
is similar to carbon offsetting that airlines offer to their passengers. As
commodity producers, traders, and end-users become increasingly interested in mitigating
the environmental footprint of their activities, they are also likely to become
more interested in offsetting emissions from the transportation of their
products Pacific Basin said.
Pacific Basin currently operates approximately 235 Handysize
and Supramax dry bulk ships, of which 116 are owned and the others are
chartered.