Progress 2020: Ocean health

We see ourselves as citizens of the oceans and we are committed to doing no harm while at the same time actively participating in restoring ocean health and resilience and protecting animal habitats.

Nearly three-quarters of the Earth’s surface is covered by oceans. They redistribute CO2 and heat, supply people and communities with food, water, renewable energy, and build livelihoods through tourism, trade and transport. The health of the ocean is rapidly deteriorating due to increasing temperatures, acidification, depletion of natural resources and pollution from land and sea, including large quantities of plastic waste.

To do no harm, we aim to fully comply with rules and regulations to minimise negative impact on ocean health, including waste management and ballast water systems. We also work to ensure that there are zero non-contained oil spills above 10 m³ from our operations.

To actively suuport the maintenance and restoration of ocean health, we support ocean science research through data collection and partnerships, and have a continued collaboration with The Ocean Cleanup project on removing plastic waste from the oceans and rivers.

We also support and contribute to the development and implementation of the UN Global Compact's Sustainable Ocean Principles.

Read about our 2020 performance and activities on page 39 in the 2020 Sustainability Report.

Read more about ocean health.