CARING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT SINCE 1974

We are currently investing in a sensor system for vessels that collects Big Data information in real time to support informed decision making. We also use 5G technology to ensure the connectivity of our optimisation tools on our voyages.

In addition, we promote the efficient use of data and improve our overall and energy efficiency, through projects such as the implementation of MarineLink Smart software or the creation of programmes such as Varada 2.0. These tools help us to measure in real time parameters such as fuel consumption or employee travel, and allow us to look for alternatives to reduce the use of natural resources.

Since 2014, we have eliminated the need for our passengers to present a boarding pass to travel.

This pioneering and revolutionary measure was subsequently extended to other companies in the sector. As a result, today, passengers only have to present their own documentation to board. Thanks to this, we can validate all the information in our systems and our passengers can travel without having to download or print anything.

This allows us to reduce more than 4 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually and has encouraged digitisation in all areas of our work.

Since 2014, after the elimination of boarding passes, we have championed digitisation, and are committed to what we call our "0 Paper" policy. Our goal: to reduce paper and cardboard consumption in as many procedures as possible.

As a result, we have pioneered the creation of digital tools and solutions that replace paper-based administrative tasks. In turn, we have reduced supplier and employee travel, improving the efficiency of our processes.

We constantly analyse our efforts and so, from 2014 to 2022, we were able to reduce our paper consumption by 74%. Here are some more facts:

• Our travellers consume an average of only 0.4 grams of paper per year, equivalent to less than one sheet of paper.
• Our employees' annual paper consumption is less than one and a half kilos.
• According to data from the Ministry for Ecological Transition, the average annual paper consumption per person in Spain is 176 kg.
• The average paper consumption per worker in Spain is estimated at 46.8 kilos per year.
• A Fred. Olsen Express worker consumes only 4.45% of paper compared to an average worker.
• In Spain, total paper consumption in 2022 was higher than in 2014.

Our Zero Paper policy is a challenge that we continue to work on and in which everyone can participate. We encourage you to join us.

We continue along our path, knowing that we have a long journey ahead of us. So, in 2022, we created a specific area of Innovation for Sustainability at our head office, with the aim of further developing our environmental protection policy and accelerating improvements.

We are working on several measures related to optimising the weight of our vessels to reduce our fuel expenditure. The lower the weight, the lower the power requirement, which brings about a significant reduction in emissions. We highlight the following initiatives:

• Our stowage model. We are committed to an optimised stowage model, which consists of studying in advance the best distribution of vehicles in the hold in each departure, to achieve optimal trimming and reduce consumption.
• We have lowered the ramps. We have moved our ship access ramps to the ports. Ramps are usually part of ships and are made of very heavy materials. By leaving them ashore, unloading times are optimised and sailing is much lighter.
• Less fuel. We operate only with the spare parts and fuel necessary for a safe journey.  
• During port stops, we reduce the idling time of the engines to the minimum recommended by the manufacturers.

During our long-term stopovers, we connect our vessels to shore-side power supplies. This consists of a ship-grounding system that is developed with a low voltage connection point. It leads to a reduction in the use of fossil fuels in liner vessels (marine gas oil) and has a number of benefits for both the shipping company and the public. Noise pollution and direct CO2 emissions into the atmosphere are eliminated while vibrations are reduced, thus improving the quality of life of the surrounding communities.

All our vessels are prepared from their construction with technical adaptations that allow our engines to benefit from this form of supply. The first effective connection was made with the Bocayna Express in 2006. In 2023, we also connected our Bañaderos Express and Bajamar Express ships in the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. We are currently awaiting the preparation of new supply opportunities to expand this measure.

We have replaced all the lighting in our fleet with low-energy light bulbs (LED); we have installed self-consumption solar spotlights (solar panels) on the stairs leading to the ramps and we have implemented the use of AA and AAA rechargeable batteries for wireless equipment, reducing consumption and waste generation.

In addition, we have installed air curtains at the entrances to our ships to prevent cold losses during boarding. We install vinyl stickers on all our windows and skylights, to provide shade, minimise solar radiation and thus reduce the use of air conditioning.

In our machine rooms, which require frequent cooling from high to low temperatures, we have also optimised ventilation and energy consumption by installing regulators that control the speed of the motors that generate energy.

Since the company was first established, and as part of our company philosophy, we have sought to reduce the consumption of resources in all our processes, by continuously establishing improvements and reviews. In recent years we have implemented the following measures:

• Elimination of paper in on-board records, replacement of management control systems in cafeterias, goods and cleaning and preventing the emission of 24 kilos of CO2.
• Zero paper and digitisation applied to our administrative and invoicing tasks.
• Elimination of paper-based passenger information by installing screens, removing leaflets and other items.
• Use of QR codes for documentation and public information.
• Reduction of printers in our workplaces to minimise paper and toner consumption, among others.
• Implementation of "hot desking" in our offices in order to encourage digitisation and Zero Paper.
• Commitment to teleworking and flexible working hours for head office staff, to reduce travel and traffic congestion.

We are committed to more sustainable materials in everyday use items, such as the napkins on board or in our offices, which are eco-friendly and made from recycled paper. We have also prioritised the use of cleaning products and chemicals with ECOLABEL-certified brands. This has helped us to increase our consumption of certified products by 14%. Our next target is to reach 25% by extending this measure to products in machine rooms and garages.

Our warehouses and cleaning products are equipped with chemical spill prevention kits to prevent water contamination. With the same objective, we use dry connections with anti-drip system for the fuel supply of our entire fleet, to eliminate any risk of fuel spillage.

We work to improve waste segregation and encourage awareness of better use of natural resources. For this reason, all our facilities are equipped with recycling stations, they have information panels to encourage correct segregation and bins for individual use have been removed from the work stations of our staff to encourage recycling.

We decided to make our facilities smoke-free to prevent cigarette butts from falling into the sea. Similarly, we remind our clients that it is absolutely forbidden to throw any element into the sea on on-board information media.

In our quest to improve the overall utilisation of the resources we employ, we have implemented special offers in our cafeterias whereby, on the last voyages of the day, we offer fresh produce, in perfect condition, at cost price.

In addition to collaborating with the University of La Laguna, we support the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and its Veterinary Faculty, facilitating their research on marine fauna.

We cannot make this journey without our employees, so we dedicate part of our resources to providing tools that enable them to gain knowledge and reduce their own environmental footprint. These are some of our initiatives:

• We have created a guide to good environmental practices in which we share simple and useful measures to apply in the domestic and professional sphere.
• We communicate to provide information about the organisation's environmental performance and promote staff involvement.
• We work with a quality and monitoring plan, with recurring visits to our work centres, to check the application of the different processes established for continuous reduction and protection.
• We provide training in environmental matters, so that our employees acquire the knowledge and awareness necessary for our continuous improvement. We carry out these training sessions with external companies, universities or through our internal training platforms.

We use our communications media, where we can potentially reach more than 3 million people, to support environmental protection and sustainability campaigns. Thus, we have collaborated with SEO Birdlife in their work to raise awareness of shearwater habits and rescue, or with Telesforo Bravo in his "Pasa sin Huella" campaign.

We have also created the first underwater guide of the Canary Islands to raise awareness of the abundance of our waters and we hold environmental workshops in our facilities for children, as mentioned in previous sections.

We work to disseminate the Fred. Olsen Express environmental measures among suppliers to raise awareness of good practices and improve the use of natural resources.

Together with the Fundación Canaria Parque Científico Tecnológico de la Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, we sponsored the first urban electromobility event on the islands to raise awareness of energy sustainability.

Together with various organisations, we organise environmental volunteer days to raise awareness among our employees of the need to protect our environment.

We have carried out reforestation activities, conferences on Canary flora, seabed abd shore clean-ups and reincorporation of rescued marine fauna into their habitat, such as the release of turtles. All accompanied by authorised entities such as the Cabildo de Tenerife, forestry agents or Fénix Canarias.