Sea Cargo Charter adds new member

Australia-headquartered mining and metals company South32 is the newest signatory to the charter. South32, a spin-off of BHP, produces commodities including bauxite, aluminium, copper, silver, lead, zinc, nickel, metallurgical coal and manganese from operations in Australia, Southern Africa and South America. 

The charter, launched in 2020, assesses chartering activities against the internationally adopted climate goals outlined by IMO. In December 2023, the SCC pledged to align its measurement and reporting activities with IMO’s 2023 greenhouse gas (GHG) strategy revision. SCC signatories will measure their activities against the latest 2023 IMO ambitions and issue annual reports.

The SCC expanded to include shipowners earlier this year. Maritime freight is an integral part of South32’s supply chain. The company has a long-term goal to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across scope 1, 2 and 3 by 2050 and a medium-term target to halve operational GHG emissions by 2035, compared with its 2021 baseline

“With the inclusion of South32, the Sea Cargo Charter now represents over 20% of bulk goods transported by sea annually, marking a significant milestone in our growth and influence,” said Sea Cargo Charter chair, Rasmus Bach Nielsen, global head of fuel decarbonisation at commodity giant Trafigura. “This demonstrates our collective commitment to promoting sustainable shipping practices across the industry.”

South32 vice president and head of marketing, Mathew Gillespie said, “Joining the Sea Cargo Charter is another step in our decarbonisation journey. By aligning to the Sea Cargo Charter’s global framework, we can better track our decarbonisation progress against IMO’s decarbonisation trajectory and our net-zero goal.” 

In its 2023 Sustainability Development Report, the company highlighted ongoing efforts to reduce emissions from shipping, which include monitoring emissions data to understand costs and identify opportunities for increased efficiencies in shipping products and raw materials economically and responsibly. Additionally, South32 said it is partnering with suppliers and collaborating with customers to further GHG emissions reduction efforts throughout the value chain.