Sustainable Shipping for a Sustainable Planet
All vessels managed by MF Shipping Group are being managed with care for the environment, through high quality standards and with a focus on continuous improvement. As an diverse and well – experienced ship-management company we are committed to contribute to the international set goals and targets to cut greenhouse gasses and prevent pollution. In order to do so we have implemented several measures and developed our business operation.
Lifetime approach
Most of the vessels in our fleet are built at Ferus Smit, located in Groningen(The Netherlands) under the supervision of MF Shipping Group. One of the major benefits of building vessels nearby is that our responsible personal is being involved during the building stage and therefore well familiar once the vessel will become operational. This increases the quality of the vessel. As a result, vessels who are more than 20 year old are still in good shape and delivering excellent performance, satisfying the owners and their clients.
Since we know our vessel that well, we know what works and what can be further optimized. The new E-class Tanker vessels owned by our Swedish partner Erik Thun AB, are a good example of that. As a result of her energy efficiency design, this ‘evolved’ vessel can carry more cargo with same length and draft, while having significantly lower emissions compared to her older sisters.
Innovative technology
At MF Shipping Group we have quite some experience with innovative sustainable solutions such as sailing on LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas). Currently, we manage five vessels who are using gas instead of fuel oil , including the first LNG powered dry cargo vessel the Greenland (2015). The Ireland (2016), and Shetland (2019) are both sister vessels of the Greenland, specially developed for carrying and self-unloading of cement. The Thun Eos (2018) and Thun Evolve (2019) are LNG-powered oi/chemical tankers. Two more of these environmental friendly tankers will be added to the fleet. The third in 2021 and the fourth a year later.
All these vessels have a Wärtsilä 34DF engine installed, which make it possible to run on marine gas/diesel oil, LNG or BioLNG. Beside this innovative main propulsion, the vessels energy efficiency will be improved further as a result of latest hull design, nozzle fitted propeller, and fuel monitoring system to optimize fuel consumption. The environmental impact of the will be minimized throughout a water lubricated stern tube, ballast water treatment unit, and shore power connection.
Taking all this into account, these vessels are reducing their CO2 emissions with 30% or more compared to previous generations of similar sized vessels. Beside CO2 reduction, NOx emissions will be reduced with 85%, SOx with 99% and particles with 99
The Shetland has an capacious shore power system which enables the vessel to discharge on electricity, an activity that requires a lot of power. By using electricity from shore, we can switch of the auxiliary engines. Meaning no fuel consumption in port and no emissions. This also reduces noise levels in the near surroundings, a positive effect for people and wild-life.
Environmental awareness
In addition to the technical innovation on board our newer vessels , we have an fleet-wide focus when it comes to environmental management. With an dedicated environmental department we manage the environmental performances of the entire fleet on a daily basis. Important performance indicators are fuel consumption per nautical mile and the carbon footprint of a voyage expressed in CO2 per transport work done. Our crew-members on board are considered vital to ensure the ship’s energy efficiency. Since they are running the systems onboard, they are key for good performance.
By proving insights in the vessels performance we increase environmental awareness and trigger continuous improvement. One of the tools implemented to increase awareness with regard to environmental performance is the automatic generated voyage report. This report with KPI’s will be send to the Master, Superintendent and Operator. If an increasing trend in fuel consumption is noticed, corrective actions could be taken immediately.
We measure, analyze and report data towards key stakeholders; the crew onboard, ship-owners, operators, charterers, authorities and ports . By working closely together we will achieve change, and ensuring Sustainable Shipping for a Sustainable Planet.
