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The world's largest container shipping company and bunker buyer, Maersk Line, has revealed that its bunker fuel costs would have been approximately USD 1.6 billion higher in 2012 had it not improved its energy efficiency since 2007.

Had it not been for the firm's sustainability strategy over the past six years, Maersk Line says that its overall financial results would have effectively swung from positive from negative.

"The dollar value of the energy efficiency improvements is clear: If Maersk Line had not improved its efficiency since 2007, the fuel cost would have been approximately USD 1.6 billion higher in 2012, effectively swinging Maersk Line’s overall financial result from positive to negative," the container shipping giant said.

One result in particular stood out in Maersk Line’s recently published 2012 Sustainability Progress Update: the company reached its 2020 target of reducing CO2 emissions by 25 percent from its benchmark 2007 levels.

“Maersk Line’s energy efficiency improvements in 2012 have led to a remarkable achievement which we are very proud of - we have met our 25 percent CO2 emissions reduction target eight years early,” said Søren Skou, CEO of Maersk Liner Business.

The company has announced that it will now aim to achieve a 40 percent CO2 reduction per container kilometre by 2020 (from 2007 levels). The Triple-E vessels, which Maersk Line will start to take delivery of in mid-2013, look set to contribute greatly to reaching the new CO2 target for 2020.

Customers are also said to be increasingly valuing sustainability performance. Maersk Line has witnessed an increasing number of customers requesting sustainability data or engaging in dialogue on the issue. In 2012, customers are estimated to have saved 2.1 million tonnes of CO2 by shipping with Maersk Line compared to choosing a shipping line with an industry average performance.

“We welcome and encourage this interest and hope to see much more of it in 2013. An increased demand for shipping services with a strong sustainability profile will help drive industry-wide change, thereby enabling more sustainable global trade,” commented Skou.

Maersk Line’s Sustainability Progress Update 2012 can be viewed and downloaded at www.maersklineroute2.com, where stakeholders are also invited to comment and ask questions.