Sustainable growth report 2024

Financial Statement
PricewaterhouseCoopers Accountants N.V. (PwC) audits Anthony Veder’s financial statements annually. For the 2024 Annual Report, they concluded that our financial statements give a true and fair view.

Key areas of focus in the audit included the valuation of the fleet, compliance with financing agreements, management override of controls, fraud in revenue recognition, and claims. Concerning fraud risks, PwC stated in their audit report that no indications of fraud came to their attention. They also identified no uncorrected misstatements or significant matters.

Independent Assurance
As part of the HAL Trust group, our company’s sustainability efforts are included in the broader Sustainability Statement of HAL Trust. This statement has been reviewed through a limited assurance engagement by PwC. PwC concluded that HAL Trust’s 2024 Sustainability Statement was properly prepared in line with the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) and the EU Taxonomy Regulation. The review placed special attention on the group’s double materiality assessment and highlighted the careful judgment and forward-looking considerations involved.

It also noted areas where data, such as Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions, carries a higher level of uncertainty. The independent assurance provides confidence that the reported sustainability information is reliable and supports HAL Trust’s (and our company’s) ongoing commitment to transparency and responsible business practices. It also noted areas where data, such as Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions, carries a higher level of uncertainty. The independent assurance provides confidence that the reported sustainability information is reliable and supports HAL Trust’s (and our company’s) ongoing commitment to transparency and responsible business practices.

Sustainability report
Our sustainability efforts are guided by a dedicated team consisting of our Commercial & Sustainability Director, Sustainability Engineers, and Communication Manager. This team is responsible for managing the sustainability process, gathering input from across the organisation, and assessing progress on our sustainability goals. Reporting on our DMA, CSRD and EU Taxonomy is handled by Finance and consolidated in the group reporting of our shareholder HAL. PWC independently reviewed the group reporting and provided limited assurance.

Sustainability is a recurring topic in the Management Committee meetings to align with the company’s strategy. The annual Sustainable Growth Report is presented and reviewed during the Supervisory Board meeting in May, after which it is formally approved. 

Management Review
We conduct an internal management review on an annual basis. The primary purpose of this review is to provide the Management Committee with an update on the status of our certified management systems. It includes both general recommendations and specific suggestions related to the following key areas:

• Quality
• Occupational Health and Safety
• Sustainability
• Environmental protection

We also carry out a thorough evaluation of our Quality Management System and Environmental Management System to ensure their continued suitability, adequacy, effectiveness, and alignment with the strategic direction of our organisation.

External benchmark: EcoVadis
We use the EcoVadis platform to benchmark our ESG performance within the shipping industry. EcoVadis monitors our performance across various ESG criteria and provides a score along with a corrective action plan, offering clear insights into how we can continuously improve. In 2023, we increased our score to 69 out of 100, building on previous improvements, 62/100 in 2022 and 59/100 in 2021. This upward trend resulted in an EcoVadis Silver Medal.

The submission for our 2024 assessment was completed at the beginning of 2025 and, at the time of this report, still under review by EcoVadis. Looking ahead, we are committed to reaching the Platinum Medal by 2025. To achieve this, we are investing significant effort in both the platform and in further enhancing our ESG performance.

Confidential counsellor
The wellbeing of our people is of great importance, as also reflected in the ‘Care for People’ pillar, particularly under the theme of a ‘Safe Workplace’. Psychological safety, feeling heard, understood, and respected, is key to this. To help ensure Anthony Veder is a safe place to work, we offer access to both an internal and an external confidential counsellor. Their contact details are published on our intranet portal. The topic of psychological safety was also addressed during our rating conferences in Indonesia and Manila, where we shared the counsellors’ contact information and provided guidance on what to do when support is needed. In addition, we collaborate with ISWAN (the International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network), which offers specialised support for seafarers, including a 24-hour helpline. Details for accessing this service are also available on our intranet.

Shipyard audits
To ensure safe and responsible collaboration with shipyards where our vessels undergo docking or repairs, we have established a comprehensive shipyard HSE audit program. This program evaluates the Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) performance of each shipyard based on objective criteria, focusing on their HSE management system, safety leadership, and, critically, the practical application of safety standards. Our goal is for shipyards to achieve level 4 on a five-point HSE performance scale. In 2024, we conducted audits at 20 shipyards globally, with the results documented in our shipyard evaluation tool. This tool enables benchmarking and assists our technical department in selecting the most suitable shipyards for our operations.

Progress
By 2025, one of our goals is to have all our emissions data independently verified by an external auditor. The NAPA Logbook upgrades include the introduction of new entries specifically tailored for regulatory voyage reporting. The improved logbooks ensure compliance with critical regulations such as the EU Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (EU-MRV) framework, the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), the IMO Data Collection System (DCS), and the upcoming FuelEU regulation. As a result of this system, our emission data is now verified by DNV, an accredited verifier for both EU and IMO, enabling daily verification and improving the accuracy and transparency of our reporting. For other emissions, we are working on a conversion tool, for which we seek external auditing. In 2025, we will define the appropriate indicators and targets for the medium and long term, ensuring continued alignment with our ESG ambitions.