Geared To Support The UAE’s Drive To Net Zero Vision

We are adopting a realistic and practical strategy for our energy transition journey to 2050

Tristar, the global energy logistics solution provider, is committed to the UAE’s ambition to achieve net zero by 2050 and has been taking incremental steps to reduce carbon emissions for over a decade.

Headquartered in Dubai, Tristar offers end-to-end fuel logistics solutions to international and national oil companies, and intergovernmental organisations. Its integrated energy logistics platform spans road and maritime transportation, specialised warehousing, fuel farms, commercial aviation refuelling, and fuel supply operations.

“Tristar has been reporting its sustainability initiatives and disclosing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in its annual sustainability reports since 2012. We are committed to environmental transparency and recently disclosed our environmental impact through the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), a global non-profit that runs the world’s leading environmental disclosure platform,” said Eugene Mayne, CEO, Tristar Group, who is a Board Member of the Global Compact Network UAE. The network over the past few years has successfully raised awareness on and supported implementation of the UNGC Ten Principles and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Tristar is also a member of the FMC (First Movers Coalition), a PPP launched by the US government and the World Economic Forum, and has pledged to purchase products and services that are near zero as defined in the FMC commitment.

“Some of our ongoing and future initiatives include solar roof installations on all our warehouses for generating solar energy for own use and export of excess. We have also commenced the process of replacing all company provided employee cars with electric vehicles and aim to complete this change in totality by 2024. We expect an annual reduction of 2,000 tonnes of CO2 through these initiatives,” said Mayne.

The company has taken seminal steps in ensuring efficiency of its maritime fleet of ocean-going vessels. The fleet is in compliance with Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) and Tristar regularly monitors Carbon Intensity Indicators (CII) of each vessel to ensure compliance with International Maritime Organisation (IMO) standards.

“We are adopting a realistic and practical strategy for our energy transition journey to 2050. We will continue to focus on all low hanging fruits that enable us to reduce the carbon footprint of our own operations. As a member of FMC, we are committed to procuring a small proportion of our transport, materials and services that are low to near zero as commercially available and therefore, we believe that we would have to pay a small manageable green premium while still ensuring the necessary demand signal for breakthrough technologies. Our road fleet migration will be phased as we explore new technologies and fuels that come in the market that are both environmentally friendly and cost effective to ensure that we remain competitive in the marketplace,” added Mayne.

Tristar expects to commission its first hybrid coastal barge in 2024 and believes the local port authorities will be instrumental in driving an ecosystem that incentivises green shipping.

In terms of decarbonisation of its maritime business to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement, Mayne said: “The IMO has ambitions to halve the shipping industry’s GHG by 2050 while reducing CO2 emissions intensity by at least 40 per cent by 2030. We will plan to aim for these timelines and the extent of our progress will largely depend on regulatory and market incentives as well as the commercial availability of low emission fuels.”

Tristar has conducted extensive studies to calculate the Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) for all its vessels. It has also started monitoring the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) for all ships from 2021 onwards to manage and improve the rating of its vessels in line with the IMO requirements. On what will transform the energy logistics business, Mayne said: “It will take concentrated and consolidated efforts — be it on land or sea, inside warehouses or research labs, deploying technology or complying with regulations. Tristar is at the vanguard of these efforts, and we are working closely with peers, researchers, and regulators to ensure industry-wide transformation.”

Tristar is looking at the following measures for its maritime logistics business: Getting 10 per cent of coastal fleet to be Zero Emission Vessels

Global decarbonisation requires the collaboration of a wide group of diverse stakeholders. Organisations that show leadership in the early stages of this transition will reap benefits down the line. “Manufacturers and technology providers need to play a leading role in research and development of new low carbon products and services. Tristar is a market leader and will also continue to lead the industry in driving sustainability by adopting new technologies into its businesses,” concluded Mayne.

Future innovations that could drive a green logistics and transportation sector: