Wallenius Wilhelmsen boss Lasse Kristoffersen says he will not rest until shipping has reached net zero.
And he joked this could see him keep working until he is a very old man.
The Norwegian car carrier company’s chief executive said in an interview for the launch of Nor-Shipping: “I have told myself that I will not leave this industry until I’ve seen it reach zero.
“If it takes me up to 90, I’m not giving up.”
Kristoffersen said his position gives him a personal responsibility.
“I have an obligation, and I will not shy away from that. Thankfully, that personal conviction is coupled with the fact that it’s the right thing to do from a business perspective.
“We see this as a challenge at Wallenius Wilhelmsen, to be sure, but it’s also a huge opportunity.”
Kristoffersen admitted the owner has a large legacy fleet that will not reach net zero soon.
“However, there’s plenty we can do to reduce emissions. That ranges from replacing vessel bulbs to optimising hulls and propellors, refining operations — adjusting speed, for example — and looking at how to integrate new energy sources, such as wind and biofuels,” he said.
“We are actively doing all those things. Then, of course, there’s the digital side.”
Kristoffersen joined the company eight months ago after more than a decade at Torvald Klaveness.
Judged on the future
He is adamant that the status quo will not do.
“If Wallenius Wilhelmsen were looking for someone to keep things ticking over, they should never have recruited me,” he said.
Kristoffersen has spent his initial period at the firm getting to know the business and its customers, while presiding over its best ever financial results in the car carrier boom.
This was “good timing, nothing to do with me”, he said, maintaining that he will be “judged on the future”.
And he said the company “could probably transport 20% more cars and equipment if we had the capacity to do so”.
