Corporate Social Responsibility
Stolt-Nielsen Limited and its operating units strive to operate in a manner that is safe for both people and the environment.
Our efforts to achieve these goals are supported by a broad range of existing policies and practices, and we are actively engaged in long-term planning to enhance our safety and environmental performance in the future.
Reducing CO2, NOx and SOx emissions through increased efficiency is one of the key objectives of Stolt Tankers’ Energy Management Project. The project, launched in 2006, is an ongoing effort to improve the energy efficiency of the existing Stolt fleet, as well as ST’s fleet of the future. Actions include tuning engines for optimal performance, using travelling specialists to analyse ship performance and provide best-practices guidance to crews, smoothing hulls and propellers to reduce resistance, lowering sailing speeds, making more efficient use of shipboard heating and other operating systems, optimising voyage planning, and working with crews to increase efficiency awareness. Actions to date have already reduced the fleet’s fuel consumption by a significant amount. Looking to the future, innovative parcel tanker designs now on the drawing board will deliver substantial long-term fuel efficiencies. As part of its overall efforts to improve its environmental performance, Stolt Tankers obtained ISO 14001 certification in March 2010, which focuses on requirements and guidelines for environmental management systems.
Stolt Tankers recognises that training is the key to safety and environmental performance. From captains to cadets, ST administers one of the most comprehensive training programmes in the industry. Senior officers are evaluated through specialised assessment programmes to ensure they possess both the qualifications and the traits needed for the job. Officers receive leadership training to ensure they are fully equipped to manage the crews and ships to ST’s rigorous specifications. Cadets are handpicked from leading maritime schools using a screening process to identify those with competencies best suited to the specific demands of parcel tanker operations. Training, both ashore and at sea, is a continuous process that reduces incidents and increases performance at Stolt Tankers.
All Stolthaven terminals operate to the same high standards of safety and environmental protection, regardless of their location in the world. Stolthaven strives to improve continuously its methods of identifying and reducing risk to minimise the effects of our activities on people, the community and the environment. In Asia, the division’s two new terminals in China are currently in the process of obtaining certifications for their Integrated Management System, and compliance with ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001.
Stolt Tank Containers continues to strengthen its global SSHE&Q (Security, Safety, Health, Environment & Quality) management system. The system builds on STC’s culture of quality by providing checks and balances to ensure that STC meets or exceeds the rigorous service requirements of its customers, as well as all local, national, international and industry regulations governing the safe transportation and handling of our customers’ products. STC’s global network of depots maintains exacting controls over all aspects of its waste treatment and handling processes, thus ensuring that here, too, we meet and in most cases exceed all applicable regulations designed to protect both people and the environment.
Stolt Sea Farm’s land-based approach to fish farming avoids the pollution issues often associated with open-water farms, where unconsumed food and fish waste are dispersed into the water. SSF’s operations use substantial amounts of fresh seawater. The water is filtered on intake and organic material is removed via sedimentation before the water is returned to the ocean. The organic sediment produced by this process makes excellent agricultural fertilizer and is made available to local farmers. The water that SSF’s farms return to the ocean meets or exceeds all water quality regulations set by the European Union. In fact, tests have shown at times that water released by SSF is actually higher in quality than the local ocean water itself.
