Leading The Way In Carbon Footprint Management

Group’s sustainability goals are aligned with UN SDGs

Tristar Group’s sustainability goals under the Environmental, Social and Gover-nance (ESG) pillars are aligned with the UN Global Compact (UNGC) Ten Prin-ciples and UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

As a logistics business, the company focuses its sustainability goals in the areas of carbon foot-print management, renewable energy adoption, water use management and giving back to the communities where it operates.

In its recent 2022 Leadership Summit con-ducted in June in Dubai with the theme ‘Transi-tion Towards Energy,’ Eugene Mayne, Group CEO, said that companies of the future will be the companies that also have a high degree of corporate social responsibility.

REDUCING GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS

The Tristar Maritime Logistics division is leading the way in carbon footprint management. Global shipping accounts for 2.8 per cent of all carbon emissions and new regulations are in place to come into effect on January 1, 2023, with the aim to reduce overall emissions through to 2050.

“Before it became a norm, with Tristar’s his-toric sustainability outlook, its newly built vessels in 2016 and in 2020/2021 already meet the new regulations without having to make any modifications,” explained Chris Peters, Tristar Maritime Logistics CEO.

Looking forward, there are new regulations coming to the world in general in relation to decarbonisation with various versions of Net Zero coming for 2050 and other targets by 2030. Peters said that for existing vessels it is not presently technically or financially viable to change the fuel used by that vessel to a lower or zero-carbon alternative.

“This may change, following which Tristar Maritime Logistics will endeavour to introduce these changes to our fleet. However, there are many smaller things that can be put into effect to reduce the consumption and therefore the carbon footprint based on consumption of con-ventional fuel. When vessels are due for their five-year drydocks, modifications have been made to engines, and upgraded paint schemes have been applied to the hulls reducing friction in the water and therefore consumption,” he further said.

Tristar also has a programme to periodically polishes the vessel propeller, examine the hull condition, and clean if required, to ensure that fuel is saved by reducing the drag caused by fouling. “We are also evaluating existing technologies such as wind-assisted power, air lubrication of the hull, etc. to reduce consumption of fuel.”

From a longer-term perspective, Peters added that an ongoing evaluation of the fleet is being established to see how Tristar cannot only meet the regulations but also strive to continuously stay ahead of them. Various concepts have been reviewed for alternative fuels including battery-powered vessels for the coastal fleet and dual-fueled ocean going vessels.

Aside from its Maritime Logistics business, Tristar is offering road transportation, specialised warehousing, fuel and chemical terminal man-agement, lubricants distribution, commercial aviation refueling, and fuel supply operations. The company founded in 1998 is now a globally well-respected end-to-end fuel logistics solutions provider to blue-chip clients including international and national oil companies, and intergovernmental organisations.