Sustainable growth report 2024

Vitality
Many of our colleagues are sports enthusiasts and we actively support that spirit. For office colleagues, sports sessions are organised during lunch breaks with boot camp sessions and running. In December 2024, our running team proudly participated in the Bruggenloop, one of Rotterdam’s most popular running events. We are proud to share that a record 27 colleagues crossed the finish line. On board vitality is also stimulated. Most of our vessels are equipped with gyms and sports facilities. For vessels that do not yet have sports facilities, we use dockings to look for ways to create room for fitness equipment. On some ships, crew members have set up basketball courts for active leisure time. Each ship has an eFund, which they can use to buy recreational items or initiatives that promote fun and relaxation.

Vitality is also part of our learning and leadership efforts. During our Junior Officers and Ratings Conferences, we offer workshops on healthy lifestyle. And during ship visits, our colleagues engage in meaningful dialogue about wellbeing, showing genuine care and attention to how seafarers are doing and encouraging them to take care of themselves and each other.

We also stimulate relaxation by offering guidance for celebrating holidays onboard. For the Christmas and New Year’s celebration we offered all ships a package with a tailor-made AV 30 Seconds game and prizes. We also offered a quiz where they competed against other ships and could win a high-quality coffee machine. Office colleagues enjoyed a nice celebration at the end of the year onboard a party boat touring the rivers around Rotterdam.

Pulse survey
To better understand how our office colleagues experience their vitality at work, we conducted two pulse surveys in 2024, one in June and one in December. These short surveys provided valuable insights into key themes such as engagement, work-life balance, and stress.

We were pleased to see a steady increase in the overall engagement score: from 3.76 in June to 3.99 in December (out of 5). This upward trend suggests that colleagues feel more connected and positive about their work compared to both earlier in the year and 2023.

However, the results also point to areas that need our attention. Work-life balance showed a decline, from an average score of 3.67 in June to 3.40 in December. Stress levels also slightly increased, indicating that workload or external pressures may have impacted wellbeing towards the end of the year.  With 60% of our colleagues participating in the most recent survey, we have a solid base for understanding where we are doing well and where we need to improve. In 2025, we will continue to act on these insights, to create a healthier, more sustainable working environment, with special attention for managing stress and improving work-life balance.

Psychological safety
Creating a safe and respectful work environment is essential. In the office, we monitor psychological safety through our pulse surveys. In the December 2024 survey, four colleagues reported experiencing unwelcome behaviour, such as discrimination, bullying, sexual harassment, or aggression. Addressing this openly is crucial.

We encourage anyone affected to speak up and seek support, whether through their manager, HR, or our internal or external confidential counsellors. For our seafaring colleagues, the topic of psychological safety was actively addressed during the Rating Conferences through dedicated workshops.

These sessions focused on building a culture where everyone feels safe to express themselves, share concerns, and seek help when needed. The topic was also part of our Junior Officers Conferences, where an inspirational speaker shared her perspective on the importance of feeling safe and supported at work.

Sustainable employability
In previous years, we organised workshops to raise awareness around sustainable employability, focusing on career development and continuous growth. In 2024, we shifted our approach to more personal, need-based dialogue. Our goal is to provide tailored support to colleagues who need guidance on topics such as vitality, work-life balance, or mental health.

To provide more targeted support to our seafaring colleagues, we organise quarterly meetings with representative groups to better understand their needs. Based on these conversations, we offer practical support (such as access to a pension consultant), tools to manage health risks or stress, and even temporary shore-based assignments when this helps to improve their situation. This personalised approach ensures we continue to support employability in a meaningful and sustainable way.

Coaching
Coaching is a valuable tool to support colleagues in their personal and professional growth. In 2024, all participants in our Future Navigators trainee program received coaching as a regular part of their development journey. As a socially responsible employer, we also offer coaching in other situations, for example when a new role is created.

Coaching is always tailored to the individual. Each request is carefully reviewed to ensure the best match between the colleague and the coach. In 2024, a total of 14 office colleagues received coaching support, helping them to grow further in their careers or personal development.

Debriefing
A structured approach for gathering feedback from seafaring colleagues is essential for us to better understand and improve topcis like: safety, wellbeing, working conditions, and job satisfaction. In 2024, we introduced an updated debriefing form within the Radiant Fleet portal. 

This user-friendly form is completed at the end of each term, allowing crew members to share their experiences and suggestions. The form contains 30 questions, with several marked as critical.

These are monitored closely: any score of 3 or lower triggers an alert, prompting attention from a crewing manager. Weekly reports are generated to identify trends and areas that require follow-up. This process ensures that feedback is not only heard, but also acted upon swiftly and effectively.

Food
Our partner IFS (International Food Services) takes care of the food supply on board our vessels. They have been supporting our cooks and crew for over a decade. In addition to delivering high-quality food, they provide onboard audits and training for our cooks to support healthy and balanced meal preparation. Through the IFS tool, we are able to monitor the nutritional content of meals served on board, tracking elements such as vegetable intake, protein, salt, and more.

At our Rotterdam office, the ‘AV Lunch Café’ serves hot meals during the week, with a dedicated vegetarian option on Wednesdays. We support a balanced and healthy lifestyle on shore too by providing fresh salads, fruit, and dairy drinks free of charge.

Progress
It is our goal to have zero cases of misconduct. In the office, we monitor this anonymously through our pulse survey. Besides some reports of unwelcome behaviour from our December 2024 pulse survey, no cases were reported via the confidential counsellor. For the fleet, incidents of misconduct can be reported through the Radiant Fleet portal. In 2024, no cases of misconduct were reported.