The Country Manager of SAAM Towage Colombia, Joao Paulo Marins, described the company’s PAS 2060 carbon neutrality certification and ISO 14061-1 assurance of greenhouse gases (GHG) as a milestone for the company.Bureau Veritas verified that the company correctly measured and offset 100% of the GHG emissions generated in 2020 at all maritime towage operations in Cartagena Bay. These emissions totaled 3,930 tons of CO2e, including all services provided for the Ecopetrol Group.
“Sustainability is a strategic objective and moving forward towards more and more sustainable operations is one of the cornerstones of our management. Because of this, we not only measured our carbon footprint and took steps to reduce it, but we also decided to fully offset it with forestry projects, thus making our operations carbon neutral,” the executive explained.
Actions taken include: efficiently using fuel and planning maneuvers, migrating to LED lighting and training personnel.
Two initiatives were selected to offset emissions. In addition to offsetting GHGs, they also support the local economy in communities near the company’s operations and help recover deforested acreage. The project is known as the Andean and Atlantic Coast Association Program – FCG and Caracoli Carbon Bonds.
The goal for 2022 is to continue to make progress by upgrading facilities and equipment technology. SAAM Towage Colombia is already working on the future installation of a solar power generation plant at the Cartagena Operations Base.