Page 35 - SG Nautilus Issue 47.indb

ISSUE 47 PAGE 33

COMMENTARY

environmental protection has always been part Given the diversifi ed nature and size of our
of the EPS culture. Since our inception, we have fl eet, we decided to use the Annual Effi ciency
adhered to an internal Environment Protection Ratio (AER) and Energy Effi ciency Operational
Policy that applies to all we do at sea. Indicator (EEOI) formulas, as they take into
In 2019, we won the Lloyd’s List’s Company consideration fuel types, consumption,
of the Year Award, and in 2018, we were the deadweight tonnes, voyage distance, and cargo
fi rst shipping company in Asia Pacifi c to be weight. I am happy to report that our 2019 fl eet-
awarded a Green Loan by BNP Paribas. Other wide AER was 4.7g / deadweight tonne / mile.
recognitions we received in the past few This is a fantastic number, and shows steady
years include Qualship 21, the Green Award, improvement over the past few years.
and ISO 14001 Certifi cation validating our ABOUT
Environment Management System. This culture MEETING IMO 2020 REGULATION & BEYOND
of environmental protection has infl uenced Our entire fl eet is already compliant with the MR DAN KWEK
our onshore practices as well, resulting in our IMO 2020 sulphur cap regulation. We also With 13 years of shipping
Singapore Headquarters receiving the Eco Offi ce have an ambitious newbuild programme, with experience, Mr Dan
Certifi cation by the Singapore Environment more than 30 vessels set to join our fl eet in the Kwek is the Sales and
Council for our conservation and waste coming years. For these vessels, we have chosen Purchase Manager of
management standards. vendors and engine manufacturers that off er Eastern Pacifi c Shipping
These policies, procedures and behaviours cutting-edge, environmentally friendly solutions. Pte Ltd (EPS). Since
were aligned, but they were also fragmented. EPS is also committed to using alternative joining EPS in 2015,
Thus, we decided to bring everything together marine fuels, such as liquefi ed natural gas (LNG) he has been involved
under one sustainability umbrella in 2019, which and liquefi ed petroleum gas (LPG). in multiple sales and
saw the ESG Policy being introduced. These two fuels are proven to signifi cantly purchase transactions.
lower greenhouse gas emissions — specifi cally Mr Kwek holds
BENCHMARKS & TARGETS carbon dioxide, sulphur oxide, nitrogen oxide, a Master of Science
We are routinely audited by third parties for and particulate matter. In fact, they already (Maritime Studies)
the environmental portion of the ESG Policy to meet the International Maritime Organization’s degree from Nanyang
ensure it is running as effi ciently as possible at (IMO) 2030 regulation, which mandates a 40% Technological
sea and on shore. These third parties include reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in University. He is active
classifi cation societies, government agencies, the next 10 years. When cleaner marine fuels in the Singapore
and private enterprises. This ensures we are become available, we will certainly adopt them. Shipping Association,
on the right track, while giving us data that But for the sake of the environment, we have and is part of its
we can use to measure against ourselves and to act now, hence our decision to use LNG Digital Transformation
the industry. and LPG. Why should we wait for years to see Committee and Young
When conducting these exercises, whether something better comes along when Executive Group.
we are conscious of making apple-to-apple there is a real solution available now? He is also the Honorary
comparisons. With external benchmarking, The next target for the industry is IMO 2050, Treasurer of the
you need an in-depth understanding of what which calls for a 50% reduction in emissions. Society of Naval
is being offered. That is why we feel the While there is no answer to that today, we Architects & Marine
best benchmarking is against ourselves, believe that LNG and LPG will act as essential Engineers Singapore.
and letting the public hold us accountable for building blocks to the next solution. When that Before entering the
our performance. solution is ready, we will be there to adopt it. private sector, Mr Kwek
spent four and a half
years with the Maritime
and Port Authority of
Singapore (MPA) in an
industry development
role, administering
the MPA MINT Fund,
which promotes
maritime R&D as well as
technology development
and adoption.