Message from John Williams
When I acquired Maritime in 2001, we were a company of less than 200 employees running 136 trucks dedicated to container haulage, principally servicing Southampton, Felixstowe and Thamesport.
Today, the Company employs 3,000 dedicated people in 41 depots including rail freight terminals, running a network of 1,600 trucks and 36 rail services daily. We provide both container and distribution logistics for the major shipping lines and retailers from/to ports and distribution centres.
For over two decades of growth, we have always followed the principal of investing in the latest technology to ensure our trucks are as efficient and clean as possible to minimise their impact on the environment – today, 100% of our truck fleet is Euro-6 compliant. We have also strived to provide our employees with the best equipment and facilities to carry out their tasks.
Continuing this journey, our future strategy includes two key pillars:
Modal shift moving more cargo by rail to remove road congestion and reduce emissions – products moved by rail reduce emissions by up to 48%. We have increased our container movements carried by rail from 6% in 2019 to over 24% in 2023. Our strategy is to also accelerate the movement of domestic product across the country through the rail network in addition to traditional container cargo. To achieve this goal, we are working with the government and rail operators on additional rail paths and equipment to significantly increase rail freight movements.
Alternative Fuels to remove the use of fossil fuels removing CO2 emissions – in this area, we are working with vehicle and equipment manufacturers on their plans for battery and hydrogen-powered solutions. In the short term, we are utilising Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) on both road and rail which is reported to save up to 90% of CO2 in its manufacturing process.
At Maritime, we are committed to playing our part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and will continue to work on
current projects and new initiatives to support the UK government plans to achieve net zero by 2050. We have been making
good progress, but climate change is now a critical issue and we must all do more and play our part.
As such, in 2022 we set up an Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) program to ensure we have an integrated plan to protect the environment, look after our people and the communities where we work. We will ensure Maritime continues to be run with strong governance as we grow our business in the future.
The Terms of Reference for the ESG Steering Committee and an update on progress is summarised below.
Maritime will continue to work closely with you, our customers, our suppliers, our people, and stakeholders to ensure we
meet our ESG goals.
Key Environmental Facts - 2023
We currently only include Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions in our carbon footprint calculations. The different scopes are shown below:
Carbon Footprint - Scope 1 and 2 (including Scope 3 (rail diesel use only))
Intensity Ratios
These are used to enable comparison between years where a business changes each year with an increase/decrease in volume. Maritime use the intensity ratio of tonnes of carbon emitted per one hundred thousand total company miles (road plus rail equivalent).
Per 100,000 Miles Metric
Rail Journeys
It is currently very difficult to provide accurate data for rail journeys, and calculations are based on averages of a number of factors, including mpg of the trains/weight of TEU/utilisation of train etc. It is hoped to become more scientific as we go forward on our carbon journey.
2022 rail journeys (2,725) produced 21,906t CO2eq. If these containers had been moved by road = 43,215t CO2eq (saving 49%).
2023 rail journeys (2,870) produced 23,156t CO2eq. If these containers had been moved by road = 44,472t CO2eq (saving 48%).
Environmental, Social, Governance Steering Committee (ESG-SC)
Terms of Reference
Purpose
The main purpose of the Steering Committee is to:
- define, on behalf of the Executive Board, the Company’s ESG strategy and monitor
progress against defined goals, making changes as required to ensure the goals remain effective and up to date
- review the Company’s ESG policies to ensure they are current and support the ESG strategy and goals
- ensure the ESG strategy, goals, and the Company’s policies are compliant with legal and regulatory requirements
Scope
- Environmental: The Company’s impact on the environment and the actions it is taking on climate change including greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, alternative fuels, waste management, and emergency preparedness
- Social: The Company’s interaction with employees, local communities, and stakeholders, including employee policies covering health, safety and well-being, human rights, equal opportunities, diversity, and inclusion. Engagement with local communities on social projects and charitable donations
- Governance: The Company’s ethical standards including employee policies and training covering public interest disclosure, bribery and corruption, security, and GDPR
Membership
- Deputy Chairman (Chair)
- Deputy CEO
- Deputy CEO
- Managing Director - Intermodal
- Fleet Director
- Human Resources Director
- Property Director
- Chief Financial Officer
- IT and Marketing Director
- Risk and Compliance Manager (Secretariat)
Reporting
The ESG-SC Chair will report progress on ESG matters to the Executive Board on a regular basis.
