APM Terminals Presents Environmental Wins at World Bank Transport Forum

JOC Staff |
  • CO2 emissions down 16.3% per container (TEU) in 2010
  • $15 million savings achieved
Washington, DC – APM Terminals Head of Corporate Responsibilities Henrik Kristensen addressed the World Bank Transport Forum March 28 in Washington, DC on “Green Transport for Green Growth” to share successful strategies for low-carbon operations in the global logistics industry.

The 2011 World Bank Transport Forum runs March 28-31 and is a bi-annual gathering of transport policy makers from the World Bank, international development agencies, donor agencies, developing countries governments and NGOs. This year’s main theme celebrated “50 Years of Innovation in Transport – Achievements and Future Challenges” and highlighed the impact of transport infrastructure and services transforming people’s lives across regions and countries.

“We are making solid environmental progress, with a reduction of CO2 emissions per TEU of 15.8% in three years, reducing our diesel fuel and switching to carbon-neutral electrical sourcing” said APM Terminals Head of Corporate Responsibilities Henrik Kristensen.

On a company-wide level, major policy steps were taken in 2010 to promote “Green” operations that corresponded to a USD 15 million annual savings:
  • Switching to carbon neutral energy sources from diesel power.
  • 12% of APM Terminals’ electricity is now sourced from CO2 neutral power, up from 4% in 2009.
  • Fuel consumption reduced by 10,000 tons.
  • Electrical consumption reduced by 40,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) compared with 2009.
  • The conversion of APM Terminals’ RTG fleet to electric power from diesel will begin with the Asia Pacific Region facilities this year.
  • All new terminal projects are designed to reduce environmental impact by 20% compared with existing business levels.
Aggressive ongoing environmental initiatives have enabled APM Terminals to meet its stated goal of reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per TEU handled by 15% from the 2007 baseline.
  • In 2010, 11.68 kg of CO2 per TEU were produced, representing a 16.3% decline in emissions per TEU from 2009, when CO2 emissions were 13.96 kg per TEU.
  • Of this figure, 9% of the CO2 reduction registered for 2010 was due to direct efficiency improvement, while the remaining 7% difference reflected changes in the scope of emission tracking and measurement.
  • During the company’s base year of 2007, CO2 emissions were 17.42 kg per TEU.
This year APM Terminals will also implement a company-wide Environment Management System (EMS) which is aligned with ISO14001 standards; a framework that will allow all business units to mitigate and control environmental impact in both marine and Inland Services operations.

“EMS will match current environmental legislation and establish consistency across our businesses around the world said Kristensen, adding, “It will continuously drive performance, use more environmental friendly products and reduce climate change effects”.

These and other tools such as Process Excellence programs, outside performance auditing and benchmarking will also be used to promote employee engagement and environmental awareness.

“Our goal for 2011 is to reduce our relative footprint by another 6%. We applaud our leaders in our terminals worldwide who delivered such fine results and set the pace for future performance. We call the industry to more action and more collaboration to raise the bar to improve international standards”, added Mr. Kristensen.

Monitoring environmental performance has become an integral part of operations at both marine facilities and the Inland Services businesses which comprise the APM Terminals Global Port, Terminal and Inland Services Network - now numbering over 50 ports, 11 port projects and over 120 inland facilities in 64 countries. All business units are now required to track monthly energy consumption to gauge progress, and identify new opportunities for improvement.