Agricultural trading group Louis Dreyfus Co (LDC) says it has reduced emissions from its shipping operations in the past year as it targets a 15% cut per tonne-mile.
Writing in its sustainability report for 2022, chief executive Michael Gelchie said consumers expect the group’s decisions to support environmental conservation and socioeconomic development, protecting people and the planet.
“Our position enables us to influence our value chains toward positive and sustainable change,” he said, citing freight biofuel trials and advances in supply chain traceability among actions focused mainly on shaping a more sustainable food and agricultural system to contribute to global climate goals.
LDC said that throughout 2022, it worked closely with shipowners to help prepare for compliance with the Carbon Intensity Indicator regulations introduced by the International Maritime Organization.
Initial reports from its involvement in the Sea Cargo Charter report showed a decrease in carbon emissions and provided a new baseline from which it aims to cut its emissions per tonne-mile by 15% compared with 2017.
It reported 3.55m tonnes of CO2 emissions last year, down from 3.81m in 2021, mainly due to reductions in vessel speeds and port waiting times.
That correlated to cutting CO2 per tonne-mile to 7.95g, from 8.65g in 2021, on the basis of the Energy Efficiency Operational Index.
In seeking ways to improve the efficiency of its fleet, the company said: “LDC has followed collaboration avenues including co-investing in innovative energy-saving devices on our vessels, implementing digital tools within our team, sharing knowledge and analytics on efficiency at sea and experimenting with alternatives to standard marine fossil fuels”.
It cited a partnership with owners to explore the possibility of retrofitting a wake equaliser duct on a vessel during dry-docking with the aim of improving the ship’s energy efficiency by 3% to 5%.
LDC also carried out two successful biofuel trials: one with its juice fleet in the Atlantic and the other for a third-party client in the Pacific.
And it expanded a comparative study of wind-assisted propulsion by adding a fifth technology to explore alongside the four it has already looked at.
The group has also partnered Lloyd’s Register to launch a hull coatings study to find a paint that delivers maximum emission reductions with minimal ecological drawbacks.
Paris-based shipowning unit Louis Dreyfus Armateurs said this month that subsidiary Louis Dreyfus Freight Solutions has teamed up with two French naval architects to market the design of a wind-assisted/propelled 2,500-teu feeder container ship.
