Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Crowley Joins Trident Alliance

By Mark Edward Nero

Crowley Maritime Corp. has joined the Trident Alliance, a coalition of shipping owners and operators with a common interest in enforcement of existing maritime sulfur regulations.

“Crowley’s decision to align itself with the Trident Alliance makes sense on many levels,” Mike Roberts, Crowley’s senior vice president and general counsel explained. “First and foremost, Crowley’s long-standing support for and compliance with the sulfur regulations has been demonstrated throughout the years in no small part because, as a leader in the maritime industry, it is the responsible thing to do for the environment.”

In joining the alliance, Crowley signed a statement of commitment certifying that the company agrees to comply with sulfur regulations and support the robust and transparent enforcement of these regulations.

Because sulfur-restricting regulations have resulted in increased fuel costs for shipping companies, some operators have violated regulations by burning cheaper, noncompliant, higher sulfur fuels.

The Trident Alliance is committed to improve enforcement of these regulations in an effort to hold all operators accountable and eliminate the competitive disadvantages that result from deliberate noncompliance.

In addition to enforcement of existing sulfur regulations, the Trident Alliance also works to raise awareness of the issue, foster transparency around the operators’ sulfur compliance activities and develop initiatives to foster innovation in practicable enforcement technologies.

Membership in the Trident Alliance is currently comprised of around 30 companies, including Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk Line and Maersk Tankers, among others.

More information about the group is available at tridentalliance.org.