Container line Hamburg S¨¹d and its Swedish customer Electrolux have launched a joint pilot project to reduce sulphur dioxide emissions by switching to more-expensive low-sulphur fuel during layovers at the Port of Iquique in Chile, with a view to expanding the pilot to other ports in the region.

Ottmar Gast, chairman of the executive board of Hamburg S¨¹d, said the

innovative nature of the project was not primarily the change of fuel itself, which is already mandatory in the North Sea and Baltic Sea or the North American Emission Control Areas. ¡°It is also the fact that both sides are accepting additional expense and higher costs to make the value-added chain more sustainable. With this approach, both companies are entering uncharted territory and setting an example for more environment-friendly solutions in shipping,¡± said Gast.

To operate the auxiliary engines and boilers during layovers, the company¡¯s 7,154 TEU containership vessel Santa Clara switched from the standard heavy fuel oil (HFO) to higher-grade marine gas oil (MGO). Thanks to the lower sulphur content of MGO, around 95% of sulphur dioxide emissions will be saved proportionally for the Electrolux cargo in this port of call, the two companies said.

Tomas Dahlman, Electrolux¡¯s director for global energy strategies, commented: ¡°During the last five years, Electrolux carriers have succeeded in reducing carbon emissions by 35%. The next step, as part of the Electrolux Sustainability framework ¡®For The Better¡¯, is to reduce levels of sulphur oxides in those ports that lack regulation. We are starting in Chile.¡±

The idea for the project emerged from a task force of members of the Clean Cargo Working Group (CCWG). The switch of fuel in Iquique represents the first pilot phase of the project, with the next step being to extend it to other ports in Chile, Mexico and Peru.

The Clean Cargo Working Group (CCWG) is a business-to-business leadership initiative involving major brands, cargo carriers, and freight forwarders dedicated to reducing the environmental impacts of global goods transportation and promoting responsible shipping. CCWG¡¯s tools represent one of the industry standards for measuring and reporting ocean carriers¡¯ environmental performance on carbon dioxide emissions.