Drawing on our Social & Relationship Capital
We recognise our obligations as a responsible member of the communities in which we operate, and
we seek to ensure that the interests of these communities are represented within Pacific Basin and vice
versa. Our engagement in and contributions to these communities takes a number of forms, in an effort
to support their – and our – longer-term sustainability.
We achieve this by:
-
Maintaining regular engagement with stakeholders and organisations connected to the shipping industry and the places and
jurisdictions in which we operate;
-
Ensuring we comply with the laws and regulations of the jurisdictions in which we operate;
-
Being mindful of the implications of our business activities on our communities
and stakeholders;
-
Supporting through activities and donating financially to the most deserving
communities and causes most closely connected to our business – in particular
seafarer welfare; and
-
Supporting and sponsoring our employees who get involved in the communities
in which they and Pacific Basin are active or reside, and who participate in
groups and associations related to aspects of the shipping industry
Our engagement in and contributions to the communities in which we operate
are an important part of sustainability at Pacific Basin. We continue to donate to
and be actively involved in good causes, the majority of which relate to seafarer
causes and other staff-driven initiatives.
The Seafarer Community
As one of the largest foreign employers of Chinese crew and a significant employer of Filipino crew, we invest in recruitment
activities and training programmes in Dalian, Manila and Hong Kong. Community donations are focused on seafarer welfare
causes.
-
Our Human Resources Director is an Asian Ambassador of the Sailors’ Society, an organisation we support because of our
particular interest in the welfare of seafarers and their dependents globally. Through this role, we promote regionally the need
to support the welfare of seafarers whose lives at sea are not easy and who give so much to the business of shipping.
-
In 2016, our charitable donations and sponsorship amounted to
over US$55,000, including donations to the Sailors’ Society and the
Mission to Seafarers.
-
We sponsor a minibus in Manila for the use of the Sailors’ Society to
provide free transport to all seafarers in Manila and to facilitated ship
visits by the Manila port chaplain.
-
Funding other good causes, a Pacific Basin team completed
the mountainous 100km Oxfam Trailwalker trek for the
twelfth consecutive year in aid of Oxfam’s poverty alleviation
programmes.
-
Our US colleagues also contributed to Dress for Success, an
international not-for-profit organisation that empowers women
to achieve success in the workplace.
“Our sponsors’ long-term support is crucial to sustaining our welfare output. And continuation of these crucial alliances and the industry’s recognition of seafarers’ need for our welfare work is fundamental to being able to sustain our free provision of services.”
The Sailors’ Society
Ports Where our Ships Trade
Our ships trade globally and our crew and ships are considered
ambassadors for Pacific Basin wherever they sail, so we inspire them to:
-
strictly abide by requirements under applicable environmental law so
as to minimise our impact on the cities, towns, ports and shorelines
we visit;
-
show skilful seamanship and act professionally in the way they
conduct their ships’ business;
-
be respectful law-abiding visitors, to show warm hospitality towards
visitors on board, and to be in every way becoming of Pacific Basin
personnel; and
-
establish and maintain good relations with port authorities, agents and
other stakeholders in the places we visit.
One measure of our success in this area is the feedback we get from stevedores, port operators and other stakeholders in the
ports where we call. Here are examples of commendations we received in 2016:
We commend the vessel for the level of professional courtesy,
cooperation and hospitality this crew demonstrated at both ports. If an
issue arose, the crew were prompt in addressing it without hesitation.
This is typical of Pacific Basin vessels, however this crew was above
and beyond in their efforts and this goes a long way to keeping a
smooth operation. We look forward to seeing this vessel and crew
again in Longview or Coos Bay.
Stevedores and International Longshore and Warehouse Union
in Longview and Coos Bay, USA
The Captain, Chief and crew were
of the most professional crew that
we have worked with. It was a
great loading, we enjoyed having
them as a part of our operations in
Kodiak AK, and will welcome them
at any time again to our port.
Customers in Kodiak, Alaska
Our Hong Kong Community
We take an active role in Hong Kong
where we are headquartered, listed
and where our owned dry bulk fleet
is flagged. We are members of the
Hong Kong Shipowners Association
executive committee, the Shipping
Consultative Committee of the Hong
Kong Administration and the Seafarer
Advisory Board. We also support various
maritime and related causes in Hong
Kong.
-
Hong Kong Maritime Museum
(HKMM) – We have been supporters
of HKMM since its establishment
in 2003 and we are inaugural
partners under the museum’s CSR
Partner Programme which matches
the museum’s programmes and
initiatives with our shipping and Hong
Kong community-focused social
responsibility priorities.
Public and education programming
expanded further in 2016, with
visitors almost doubling to 181,000
(including over 20,000 student and
community group visitors) to the
museum’s permanent galleries. In
addition to showing its permanent
collections, which expanded with
important new acquisition and gifts in
2016, the museum arranges special
presentations and events, and its
most notable special exhibitions in
2016 included “Trading China” – a
scholarly look at the fine porcelain
trade between China and the West
during the 18th and 19th centuries.
HKMM installed a state-of-theart
bridge simulator in 2016. We
occasionally turn to the museum and
its exhibits for tools that enhance the
quality of training of our young staff.
-
Maritime Awareness Week – We
frequently support Hong Kong’s
“Maritime Awareness Week” to
generate enthusiasm amongst young
Hongkongers for shipping as a
worthwhile career.
-
Maritime Education – We regularly
recruit interns from Hong Kong’s Maritime Services Training Institute,
which is part of the Vocational
Training Centre, some of whom
transition into full-time employees.
-
Our Human Resources Director serves
as vice chairman of the Maritime
Education and Training Sub Committee
of the Hong Kong Shipowners
Association, helping to work with
government and academia to raise the
profile of maritime education in Hong
Kong and promote shipping careers to
young Hongkongers.
-
Student Scholarships – In 2016, we
funded two more scholarships at
Hong Kong Polytechnic University
where three students are currently
pursuing a bachelor’s degree in
International Shipping and Transport
Logistics under our sponsorship.
Three recipients of our scholarship
now work at Pacific Basin in Hong
Kong, London and Vancouver, and
one is on track to join Pacific Basin’s
fleet.
-
Supporting local employment – We
employ on some of our ships a
number of senior officers from Hong
Kong, and we have run an officer
cadet recruitment and training
scheme in Hong Kong since 2013.
-
Pacific Basin Soccer Sixes – In
June, we hosted the fifth instalment
of the Pacific Basin Soccer Sixes
intercompany football tournament
in which Hong Kong’s shipping and
related services companies fielded
16 teams in friendly competition.
Pacific Basin was very proud to have
been crowned champions for a third
consecutive year while also facilitating
this increasingly popular sporting
event for the Hong Kong shipping
hub.
-
Pearl River Delta Emissions
Control – The voluntary Fair Winds
Charter which we signed up to in
2013 resulted in new Hong Kong
regulation, effective 1 July 2015,
requiring ocean-going vessels to
switch to clean marine fuel with
sulphur content not exceeding 0.5 per
cent while at berth in Hong Kong. This
first such regulation in Asia has led to
similar standards being adopted by
neighbouring Shenzhen Port effective
1 October 2016 and several other
key Pearl River Delta ports effective
1 January 2017. This is expected
to result in reduced air pollution
in the region and create an even
playing field for Hong Kong and other
southern Chinese ports.
The Shipping Industry
We are active contributors within the shipping community and
have a voice in the international dialogue with legislators and
other parties on topical issues and future legislation in our
industry.
Pacific Basin and its senior management ensure our
regular engagement with the shipping industry and relevant
governmental and regulatory bodies through membership of
appropriate industry organisations such as:
-
International Association of Dry Cargo Shipowners
(Intercargo);
-
The Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO);
-
The Baltic Exchange;
- Lloyd’s Register Asian Shipowners Committee;
- ClassNK Hong Kong Owners Committee;
- Lloyd’s Register and ClassNK Technical Committees;
-
Safety and Loss Advisory board of the Standard (Asia) P&I
Club;
- Hong Kong Shipping Consultative Committee
-
Executive Committee members of the Hong Kong
Shipowners Association, an influential organisation within
the International Chamber of Shipping and the International
Maritime Organization (IMO);
-
Sub committees of the Hong Kong Shipowners Association,
such as the Marine Sub Committee and the Maritime
Education and Training Sub Committee; and
-
Customer Relations Group of the Hong Kong Shipping
Register.
In 2016, our senior management assumed one new notable
shipping association position: our Operations Director was
appointed as a Substitute Director of the Board of Directors of
The Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO).