Responsible Stewardship on Earth Day, Every Day
VANCOUVER BC, April 20, 2018 – As part of our Global Commitment to continue leading our industry to operate more sustainably, this Earth Day, we at Global Container Terminals (GCT) have much to celebrate. Demonstrating our responsible stewardship, our Canadian and US operations continue to innovate through densifying on our existing footprints, improving our energy efficiency, and decreasing overall emissions.
“Sustainability is one of our core values at GCT, and is embedded in the way in which we do business. Through our operational excellence approach, we continue to achieve certifications with voluntary environmental programs, pilot new emissions reduction technologies, and collaborate with our port authorities to do even more,” said Doron Grosman, President and CEO of Global Container Terminals. “Celebrating Earth Day is an excellent reminder of our shared responsibilities to continually improve our environmental performance through the supply chain.”
On the West Coast, GCT Canada is the nation’s largest maritime employer and a strong supporter of the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s (VFPA) goal to become the most sustainable port in the world. As part of our goal to reduce emissions, we are pleased to announce GCT’s certification in the VFPA-endorsed Climate Smart greenhouse gas emission (GHG) reduction program. Results showed that from 2014-17, the company achieved a 5.9% emissions reduction per 1,000 TEUs, even as our volumes grew by 6.1% during the same period. Honoured for our efforts in December 2017, GCT was awarded the Green Business of the Year award by the Delta Chamber of Commerce.
Already recognized throughout our industry for our cutting-edge innovation, GCT USA has worked closely with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in trialing hybrid, auto stop-start technology on the East Coast. Initial results at GCT New York are promising: the two demonstration tractor units equipped with Effenco technology are projected to remove 6.0 tonnes of GHGs in 2018. We are excited to announce that GCT Canada is partnering with the VFPA to pilot the same emissions reduction technology at GCT Vanterm.
In 2004, GCT pioneered the truck appointment system in North America at our terminals in the Port of Vancouver, reducing idling and dwell times, smoothing street traffic during peak hours. In 2017, we continued to lead the industry as the first terminal to introduce the program in the New York harbour at GCT Bayonne. In 2017 alone, our combined terminals removed 30,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions from the air, or the equivalent of removing 6,400 cars off the roads. Faster truck turn times at GCT’s facilities yielded an estimated fuel savings of over $8.5 million annually for our drayage stakeholders during that same time. Recognized for our cleaner and greener approach to growth, GCT was honoured with the prestigious Top 15 projects award by Clean50 and the Outstanding Project award by the Intelligent Transportation Society of New Jersey.
In 2014, GCT joined Green Marine and individually certified all facilities through the rigorous certification program. Setting higher benchmarks for air, land, and water emissions, GCT recently recertified its terminals and earning “Excellence & Leadership” in nearly every category.
“While we are proud of our achievements, as a committed member of Green Marine, we will continue to advance our environmental excellence,” said Grosman. “This Earth Day, I want to recognize and thank our employees, workforce, customers, and supply chain partners for their ongoing initiatives to progress our industry as responsible stewards of the environment.”
About GCT Global Container Terminals Inc.
Headquartered in Vancouver, BC, GCT Global Container Terminals Inc. operates four Green Marine certified terminals in two principal North American ports. Through GCT USA on the East Coast, the company operates two award-winning facilities: GCT New York on Staten Island, NY and GCT Bayonne in Bayonne, NJ. On the West Coast, GCT Canada operates two gateway terminals: GCT Vanterm and GCT Deltaport in Vancouver and Delta, BC. Visit globalterminals.com and follow us on Twitter at @BigShipReady to read more about GCT.
For more information:
Louanne Wong
GCT Global Container Terminals Inc.
T +1 604 267 5102
media@globalterminals.com