Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) reaffirms its commitment to avoid arctic cargo routes, supporting the industry to limit black carbon and other environmental impacts, insisting on its Arctic decision back in 2019.
[s2If is_user_logged_in()]MSC believes that an expansion of Arctic shipping could increase the emissions of so-called black carbon – physical particles of unburned carbon which can settle on land or ice, as well as compromising air quality and accelerating the shrinkage of Arctic sea ice.
“In view of the recent public debate around container shipping in the Arctic, MSC has doubled down on its position to avoid considering the Northern Sea Route, including the Northeast and Northwest Passages on environmental grounds,” stated the Swiss-based carrier.
In addition, the company noted the risks such as navigation incidents, fuel spills, air quality and altering the ecological balance / biodiversity of the marine habitat beneath the surface of the sea also outweigh any commercial opportunities to make a short cut between North America or Europe and eastern Russia or Asia.
“This was an obvious decision for us,” pointed out MSC CEO, Soren Toft, who went on to explain, “MSC will not seek to cut through the melting ice of the Arctic to find a new route for commercial shipping and I consider this a position the whole shipping industry must adopt. Some of our peers have already made the same commitment to put the preservation of the Arctic environment ahead of profits. The Northern Sea Route is neither a quick fix for the current market challenges, nor a viable long-term strategy.”
Moreover, MSC, the world’s second largest container line, has highlighted its aim to support the container shipping industry’s energy efficiency through the deployment of 24,000TEU vessels, which will be equipped with emissions reduction technologies, while the company said it is also exploring a range of new fuels and technologies to achieve a zero-carbon future and help mitigate climate change in the process.
“Attempting to open new navigation routes which skim the polar ice cap sounds like the ignorant ambition of an 18th century explorer, when today we know that this would pose further risks to humans and many other species in that region, as well as worsen the impact of shipping upon climate change,” commented Bud Darr, executive vice president maritime policy & government affairs at MSC Group.
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