CSR Report 2018

CSR 2018 – BOSKALIS 21

fleet renewal or retrofitting. In addition, the possibility to use lower-cost, blend biofuels, will enable us to create economically viable solutions. The timeline on pages 22 and 23 illustrates the key milestones in our journey to accelerate the development and uptake of cleaner and more efficient fuels. We expect that, as biofuels become available in larger volumes at lower prices, they will become a competitive, sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. CUTTING BACK ON OTHER AIR POLLUTANTS Whereas the reduction potential in CO 2 emissions when using biofuels is significant (depending on biofuel % blend), the reduction potential for Nitrous Oxides (NOx) and Sulfur Oxides (SOx) is lower. This is why we continue to closely follow developments that will enable a further reduction in these types of emissions. This year, we started a pilot with fuel water emulsion technology in combination with a catalytic converter on one of our hopper dredgers to cut back NOx, Particulate Matter (PM) as well as CO 2 emissions. The results of this pilot are expected in 2019. CO 2 REDUCTION IN THE NETHERLANDS The CO 2 Performance Ladder is a tool used by Dutch government agencies and businesses to recognize performance in the areas of energy and materials efficiency and renewable energy. Certification is asked in many tender evaluation processes. In 2018, we once again received the highest-level certification for Boskalis business units in the Netherlands. Furthermore, in our activities in the Dutch market, we have set an ambition to reduce our CO 2 footprint of our own equipment by 35% on local projects by 2022. ENERGY-EFFICIENT BUILDINGS Energy-efficient offices and warehouses help us to further reduce our CO 2 footprint. In line with the targets of the EU Energy Efficiency Directive, we aim to have energy-neutral offices and warehouses in the EU by 2050. As a good starting point, we began construction of a new central distribution center in Vlaardingen in 2018. The building will be self-sufficient in terms of energy: even supplying energy back to the grid. In addition, we continue to structure and optimize the energy management systems of our Dutch offices and warehouses and put in place sustainable and energy-saving measures. Since the implementation in 2016 of the Energy Management System (EMS) for our Dutch offices and warehouses, we use electricity generated from wind energy – with zero CO 2 emissions – for all our offices in the Netherlands. The CO 2 Performance Ladder (level 5) and our BREEAM-In Use certification, that was successfully extended to 2020, form an integral part of the EMS. EMS remains an ongoing progress, the results of which are reported to the relevant authorities and the Boskalis Taskforce Energy Management.

including the number of operational days, the type of vessel and fuel, project nature, location and sailing distance. For example, one of our large hopper dredgers, the Fairway, recorded more operational days in 2018 compared to 2017, but less fuel use and CO 2 emissions. This is because the work carried out by this vessel in Indonesia in 2018 required less power compared to the project carried out in India in 2017, resulting from differences in the nature of the seabed. Changes in project conditions for our large dredgers, which represent around 30% of our emissions, can therefore significantly influence our total Boskalis CO 2 footprint. emissions have increased slightly (0.69 million MT) in comparison to 2017 (0.67 million MT) mainly related to an approximate 20% increase in operational days of the existing fleet. Furthermore, the addition of new vessels to the fleet (Boka Atlantis, Da Vinci, Gardline) led to an increase of the fuel consumption, especially the consumption of MDO/MGO and associated emissions. The increased MDO/MGO consumption can be attributed to commencing use of the Bokalift1 and a higher utilization rate of vessels within Emission Control Areas, especially from our Heavy Transport Vessels. We do not report the emissions from Towage as this business has been incorporated in joint ventures since 2016. The emissions from our Salvage operations are not reported in our Scope 1 and 2 CO 2 emissions, as we rely on third party assets for these services. For Offshore Energy, CO 2

2018 SCOPE 1 AND 2 CO 2

(Metric Tons ‘000)

3

485

692

1,180 MT

Offshore Energy Dredging and Inland Infra Offices

SUSTAINABLE MARINE BIOFUELS Over the past years, we have been exploring the use of cleaner fuels in our vessels and equipment. In addition to the significant reduction in emissions, biofuels have a number of major advantages for shipping: high energy density, easy storage and transportation, and ease-of-use in conventional diesel engines. Moreover, it is possible to mix them with fossil fuels. Because the existing infrastructure can be used for biofuels, the introduction of such fuels is relatively easy to carry out, without requiring costly