Grimaldi adheres to the 'SAILS' charter
The Grimaldi Group has confirmed, once again, its willingness to contribute to the protection and enhancement of the marine environment by adhering to the “SAILS” (Sustainable Actions for Innovative and Low-impact Shipping) charter. This declaration allows companies operating in the sea transport sector to formalize and pursue their pioneering commitments to protect our planet and its people, the company said in its release.
The initiative was launched last July by the French Ministry for Ecological and Inclusive Transition, with the support of Armateurs de France (France’s Shipping Association), 10 members of which have already signed the document.
The Grimaldi Group is the first Italian shipping company to have signed the charter, thus undertaking, in addition to its regulatory obligations, to implement specific actions such as the decrease of atmospheric pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions, the reduction of the underwater noise impact of ships, the optimization of ships energy performance, the fight against invasive species, the protection of cetaceans.
In fact, over the last years the Neapolitan Group has implemented important green retrofit programs for its already operational fleet. Moreover, 12 state-of-the-art greenships will join the Grimaldi fleet in 2020-2022: the new "Grimaldi Green 5th Generation" (GG5G) units will be the first examples of a new series of hybrid ro/ro vessels, which will use fossil fuel during navigation and electricity while in port, thus guaranteeing "zero emissions in port".
Green investments have involved not only the fleet but also terminals of the Grimaldi Group, where solar panels and wind turbines will be installed. Moreover, the Grimaldi Group and its sister company Valencia Terminal Europa (VTE) have recently joined the European project “H2PORTS - Implementing Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Technologies in Ports”, whose main aim is to provide efficient solutions that will facilitate a rapid transition from a fossil fuel-based to a low-carbon, zero-emissions industry. Finally, the Group acts proactively to improve the industry green records not only individually but also in consortia with other top players and institutions in the maritime field. As a member of the International Chamber of Shipping, the Grimaldi Group accepted to pursue the goal of halving its CO2 total emissions by 2050, and is already on its way to reach it. Furthermore, as a founding member of the Clean Shipping Alliance, the Group is actively committed to supporting the timely implementation of the new IMO regulations on sulphur emissions.