Shipping major Hapag-Lloyd has put its money where its mouth is in the fight against climate change - and pledged not to use shipping routes that go through the Arctic even though it lengthens the voyage.
The line has joined sporting goods manufacturer Nike and the environmental protection organisation Ocean Conservancy to sign the voluntary commitment.
The sea ice of the Arctic is melting. And one of the reasons for that is climate change. Although a permanently ice-free Arctic would shorten transit times for container shipping companies, increased shipping traffic poses additional threats to the Arctic environment. With their Arctic Shipping Corporate Pledge, Nike and the Ocean Conservancy, a non-profit environmental-protection organisation, are calling for no more ships to be sent through the Arctic’s fragile ecosystem.
