We understand that we have an important role to play in protecting our planet, and that all resources are precious.
With a shipping heritage going back to 1959, we put a particular focus on protecting the marine environment. We continually work to understand, minimise, and mitigate our impact on the oceans that sustain life on Earth. This World Ocean Day, we reflect on the progress we have made and the steps we are taking to support the protection and preservation of the world’s oceans.
Restoring mangrove forests in the Philippines
The Philippines is home to many of our seafarers. It has an ecosystem in which mangroves act as a natural barrier against coastal erosion, storms and tsunamis, as well as working to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Stolt Tankers has an ongoing partnership with JCI Regatta in the Philippines and runs events during the year in support of the reforestation of mangroves in the Philippines. In 2023, in Guimaras, Stolt Tankers also established the Jacob Stolt-Nielsen Mangrove Forest, where local team members have planted 12,000 saplings to improve habitat quality.
Supporting kelp forests and ocean restoration
Alongside partners NYK Line, CMB Tech, Tufton and Farvatn, in 2024, Stolt Tankers donated to Kelp Forest Foundation, a Netherlands-based organisation focused on improving global kelp and ocean health. By absorbing carbon and protecting marine biodiversity, kelp forests are important ocean ecosystems. We also provided a donation to Coastruction, an organisation that aims to combat the damage caused to marine environments resulting from the degradation of coral reefs. The funding will facilitate the build of a new specialist 3D printer, which will be used to print artificial reefs, providing a sanctuary for ocean life and supporting marine restoration research.
Sustainable ship recycling
Stolt Tankers is a founding member of the Ship Recycling Transparency Initiative, an online platform reporting ship recycling practices against predefined criteria. When our ships arrive for recycling, an accredited auditor verifies that each ship has been properly prepared, before issuing a Ready to Recycle certificate. This ensures appropriate dismantling and disposal of the ship's steel and hazardous waste, in compliance with the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) 2009 Hong Kong Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships.
Protecting marine life
In many locations, our ships navigate through waters shared with large marine animals, including those around Sri Lanka, the north-west Mediterranean Sea, the approach to Vancouver Island and the east coast of the US. Stolt Tankers’ ships actively seek to avoid collisions with whales through modified routes. Our ships also reduce their speed to ten knots in particular areas to minimise the impact of shipping on the whale populations, reducing the risk of injuries due to collisions.
Reducing wastewater pollution
Our terminals in Houston and New Orleans, US, have been operating onsite biological wastewater treatment plants as a service. These specialise in handling hazardous and non-hazardous wastewater from ships, barges, railcars, trucks and ISO containers. Stolt Tankers and Stolthaven Terminals are piloting working together in Houston to treat wastewater at shoreside. Tank wash water can be directed to our onsite wastewater treatment plant, rather than being disposed of at sea. At Stolt Tank Containers, the wastewater in our wholly owned depots in Moerdijk, the Netherlands; Singapore; Tianjin and Zhangiagang, China; and Grangemouth, UK is reused for cleaning tanks where possible, rather than discharged.
Volunteering for river clean-up
Our teams feel passionately about making a difference and supporting the preservation of marine life, and colleagues regularly volunteer for clean-up events around the world. Last week, in support of World Ocean Day 2025 and in partnership with ClearRivers, a team of ten colleagues from our Rotterdam office worked with a team from LyondellBasell to clean up the harbour at Delfshaven, near Rotterdam, spending two hours clearing 33 kilogrammes of rubbish and plastic bottles from the waterway.
