FIJI’s MINISTER of the Environment and Climate Change on Friday [11 July] officially launched Swire Shipping’s new Voyage to Zero carbon insetting program aboard the vessel Apia Chief in Suva.
Hon. Mosese Bulitavu unveiled the program, which enables Swire freight customers to reduce their Scope 3 Greenhouse Gas emissions, leveraging GHG savings from second generation biofuels used on any Swire Shipping vessel.
Carbon insetting allows companies to reduce their carbon footprint by investing in emissions reduction or carbon removal projects within their own value chain or sector. With Voyage to Zero, freight customers can purchase and claim GHG savings from second-generation biofuel voyages (through a book and claim chain of custody model), even if their cargoes are not transported on the same vessel, Swire says.
Emissions savings are calculated based on comparisons with reference fossil fuels on an energy equivalent basis, using independently verified data.
Swire Shipping CEO Jeremy Sutton reiterated the company’s commitment to supporting the maritime industry’s journey towards net zero: “The launch of Voyage to Zero, and transition to biofuel, are important steps in our decarbonisation strategy that will allow us to provide greater support to customers looking to reduce their emissions.
"Though the Pacific Island nations contribute the least to global emissions, they face some of the gravest consequences from climate change. By introducing greener fuels in the South Pacific, we stand united with our Pacific Island partners — sharing in their vision and determination for a resilient, thriving, and sustainable future.”
In April the company announced that three of its vessels serving the South Pacific had made the switch to B24 second-generation biofuel blends. The three vessels involved are the 2,118 TEU sisters Apia Chief and Tonga Chief on the Pacific Weekly Express (PWX) service running direct calls from Southeast Asia to Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia and Fiji, and the 981 TEU Kokopo Chief on the East Timor (ETS) service between Singapore, Dili, Darwin and Surabaya.
The vessels currently bunker B24 in Singapore enroute to the South Pacific.