Sustainable growth report 2024

This report gives insight into our progress on Environmental, Social, and Governance topics. It shows where we have made meaningful progress and where we still have work to do. Before we dive into the data and analysis, I would like to reflect on a few key developments that stand out from the past year. 

Everybody home safe
Safety remains at the heart of everything we do. While our daily operations can be dynamic and fast-paced, the safety of our people always comes first. Our motto, Everybody Home Safe, is more than a phrase: it is a commitment. We continue to strengthen our safety culture with the goal of being solidly settled on the ‘proactive’ level on the safety culture ladder. We do this by identifying risks early, learning from incidents and near misses, and embedding safety into every aspect of our operations. 

Ship visits (including Management), open feedback, and training initiatives like Safety Leadership and our Officers and Ratings conferences, all play a key role in this progress.

Committed to reliability

Fleet reliability remains a challenge and one of our biggest opportunities. In 2024, as part of our efforts to improve reliability, we reorganised our office ship management into clusters. This multidisciplinary approach allows for closer collaboration across disciplines and better alignment with our vessels.

Additionally, digital tools like BASSnet and PriMa (Predictive Maintenance), the latter introduced in 2023 to detect equipment failure before it occurs, help us to operate with greater predictability and efficiency.

Better together
We continue to forge ahead with our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) ambition. Our focus in 2024 was on emphasising the importance of creating a workplace where everyone finds a sense of belonging. During our Junior Officer conferences, an inspirational speaker shared insights to increase awareness on DEI. We also organised psychological safety workshops to improve the wellbeing of our crews. The goal is for everyone to feel valued and respected, which is fundamental to fostering an environment where everyone feels safe to express themselves, share concerns, and seek support.

Heading for net-zero
As I mentioned above, we will not achieve net-zero emissions by 2035 unless we act today. We are already making sustainable choices for future newbuilding ships by selecting LNG as a fuel. However, we also must address our current fleet. In 2024, we installed wind-assisted propulsion units on two petrochemical tankers, where we aim to cut 5% of the fuel consumption while sailing and reduce emissions as such. We can support regulatory voyage reporting with verified data throughout the year.

Special highlights
In January, we welcomed Coral Evolution to our fleet. This beautiful vessel is our latest 30,000 cbm LNG carrier, equipped with a state-of-the-art, two-stroke dual-fuel engine that significantly reduces CO₂ and methane slip emissions. The naming ceremony in Zeebrugge was performed by Marja van Wolde, who has been with Anthony Veder for over 45 years, and served as Godmother. This was a great celebration with everybody from the office attending, including partners.

In April, we successfully concluded our project with Deutsche ReGas. In a little over a year, we performed 480 safe ship-to-ship LNG transfers. It was a remarkable achievement and a testament to the craftsmanship and dedication of our people, contributing to Germany’s energy needs in a safe and reliable way.

The future
I would like to take the opportunity to thank all our colleagues, whether on board or in the office, for everything we have achieved this year thanks to your loyalty, skills, and commitment. Together with our partners, we are building a more sustainable future for everyone. The maritime industry continues to evolve, and so do we. With courage, commitment, and connection, we are ready to navigate the road ahead, towards a safer, cleaner, and more resilient future.

Jan Valkier,  CEO