Sustainability | Environment
If there were no Baltic Sea, there would be no Tallink. The clean sea is Tallink’s most important resource and part of the business DNA code. By preserving nature, Tallink also preserves its field of activity, employees, partners, and other stakeholders. Caring about the Baltic Sea is a two-way street: the conservation of the species richness and the natural environment of the Baltic Sea goes hand in hand with the reduction of potential losses due to the area of activity.
We are aiming to:
- Reduce the use of single-use plastics across our business activities with the aim of ultimately operating a single-use plastics free business;
- Eliminating any pollutants going into the sea.
Technological innovation is part of our daily work. We invest in collaboration with research institutions and encourage all crews of Tallink ships to introduce innovations that enhance energy, fuel, and water savings. All of our new ships use environmentally friendly fuels, we are continuously looking at the impact of our supply chain and logistics, so emissions are constantly decreasing. This helps us contribute to the fight against global warming.
We are aiming to:
- Reduce our CO2 foot print annually by 2%;
- Increase our energy efficiency annually;
- Work towards a paperless office and paperless service by 2025.
Environment
Tallink recognizes environmental protection and management as one of its highest priorities and that every effort is to be made to conserve and protect the environment from marine, atmospheric and other forms of pollution, including office based waste. Vessels are maintained and operated in accordance with the MARPOL convention (International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships) in order to ensure that air and sea pollution is kept at the lowest practicable level. All our newest cruise ferries are designed to use operational exhaust gas catalyser system. The applicable air pollution level requirements are met and our vessels use the low sulphur content fuel. All new ships that are currently being built for Tallink have created possibility for us to be engaged into the developing and testing activities of the newest technology of exhaust gas cleaning system which besides of the CO emissions are meant to lower also the NOx emissions.
Tallink operates a zero spill to the sea policy and our objective is to eliminate the possibility of pollution at source by ensuring high standards of safety and awareness are maintained and that all relevant legislation and conventions are followed for both its sea and shore based activities. We are also committed to the continual improvement of methods used to carry out and achieve this objective, including the use of equipment and practices that minimize waste generation.
Tallink`s ships and the subsidiary managing the technical operating of the vessels HT Shipmanagement has succesfully renewed environmental management system certificate ISO 14001 to a new version of the standard ISO 14001:2015 released by Lloyds Register.
ISO 14001:2015 is a highly valued international environmental management certificate, voluntary for companies.
All of our vessels have received all required international oil pollution prevention certificates. During their respective navigation periods, our vessels also hold valid sewage pollution prevention certificates. Handling of garbage on the vessels is regularly recorded and several of our vessels also hold a special garbage pollution prevention attestation. As the certificates are issued for limited periods, we regularly apply for the renewal of the certificates before their expiry.
Conclusively in order to assure the protection of the environment Tallink complies with mandatory rules and regulations, taking into account codes, guidelines and standard from maritime organizations; actively promotes environmental awareness by training and education of its employees; operates its office and ships taking into consideration the efficient use of energy and materials; wherever practicable, adopts the principles of re-use and recycling; requires that suppliers and contractors working under its direct control and affiliated companies apply environmental standards consistent with its own; participates in discussion with relevant authorities with a view to being aware of current environmental issues and topics and to develop measures to minimize risk to the environment; ensures compliance by undertaking regular inspections and audits along with the rectification of any nonconformity.
All vessels sailing under the brands of Tallink and Silja Line have the high level international environmental management certificate ISO 14001:2015 issued by Lloyds Register.