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Lifting our people, our partners, and our planet

This year, Fred. Olsen Windcarrier (FOWIC) has published a report that tracks our progress across Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) issues. This is central to our operations and serves as an invaluable guide to ensure that we continuing to make progress.

“The core of our company is the people that work here.”

The global pandemic made 2020 an unprecedented challenge; combining business continuity with the safety of our people has required an enormous amount of effort, flexibility, and creativity. We are extremely proud of everyone involved who has pulled together to ensure FOWIC has stayed firmly on course.

2020 has been an extraordinary year and significant effort has been made to maintain our business-critical activity in the middle of a global pandemic with the safety of our people. We are determined to demonstrate industry leadership in a way that benefits lives, the natural environment, and fulfills our mission of building the next generation of offshore wind gigaparks.
- Alexandra Koefoed, CEO, Fred. Olsen Windcarrier

The ESG report covers the key areas where FOWIC plays an active role in developing its people and protecting the environment in which we operate, namely: corporate governance, the planet, our people, and prosperity.

The following is a summary, but you can download the full report here.

1) Corporate governance

From a business perspective, good corporate governance is of great importance as it not only sets the “Tone at the Top” from senior management but also provides direction and guidance towards achieving our goals.

Governance activities are carried out systematically and effectively, ensuring that any prevailing risks are taken into consideration in the decision-making process and dealt with appropriately. Governance within FOWIC takes the following points into account:

  • A clear ethical approach is outlined in our code of conduct and is applicable universally to all employees within the FOO group of companies
  • A set of balanced objectives that take into consideration the interest of all relevant stakeholders
  • Clearly defined roles where each party plays its respective part, for example, owners, directors, and personnel
  • Accountability and transparency across all aspects of our business and dealings with partners
  • A decision-making process that gives due weight to stakeholders, to ensure all voices are heard

 

Did you know?

  • Zero cases of corruption were identified in 2020
  • Three e-learning courses were developed with over 90% enrollment, covering:
    • Code of conduct
    • Corporate Social Responsibility
    • Anti-corruption/Anti-bribery

2) The planet

Offshore wind is one of the main technologies to provide the world with clean energy, helping to build a sustainable future for us all. Not only is this a UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 7 Affordable and clean energy), but it forms the heart of our business and value proposition.

It is therefore crucial that FOWIC is conducted in a sustainable manner when it comes to energy efficiency (UN SDG 13 Climate action), protecting the environment in which we operate (UN SDG 14 Life below water), and contributing to a circular economy (UN SDG 12 Responsible consumption and production).

During 2020 we conducted several initiatives focused on achieving these goals. These included:

  • We established Vessel specific Ship Energy Efficient Plans (SEEMP) on all vessels and continued the installation of Variable Frequency Drives (VFD) on pumps to lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions
  • We ensured compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements for low sulphur emission, including DNV “Clean design” rules
  • We made preparations for an initial climate risk management assessment in 20021, in accordance with the recommendations of the Task force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures
  • Efforts are being put in place to improve water quality during production and for the vessels to be self-sufficient with water

 

Did you know?

  • We had zero environmental spills in 2020
  • All plastic bottles have been banned from our vessels
  • We repaired or exchanged 495 wind turbine blades, exchanged two gearboxes and one transformer, with a total capacity of 532,1 MW of clean energy

3) Our people

“The core of our company is the people that work here, anyone can invest in steel, but an organization and collective experience take time to build.”
- Alexandra Koefoed, CEO, Fred. Olsen Windcarrier

While we have one of the world’s leading fleets with state-of-the-art hardware, FOWIC is a company built on people. We greatly value the expertise and dedication all our employees bring, which is why we work hard to creates secure jobs within its own corporate structure and facilitate jobs externally.

As an important part of this, we are committed to complying with all national and maritime laws, rules, and regulations wherever operate, and we make sure our subcontractors do the same. These can be categorized as follows:

  • Health and Safety – any work at sea can be dangerous, so to prioritize health and safety all employees and subcontractors must follow our HSEQ policy and Code of Conduct. It was also necessary to create additional inhouse training for ‘COVID- 19 Caretakers’ to look after isolated persons
  • Equality – FOWIC is investing in the ongoing movement to promote a higher presence of women at sea. Although the global portion of women among the seafaring community is low, we have placed greater emphasis on recruiting female seafaring colleagues for our future growth
  • Skills for the future – FOWIC’s training programs are determined by national, international, regulatory, and industry requirements and are being consciously reviewed and improved. In 2020, we introduced Motimate, a new training platform for micro-courses for employees

 

Did you know?

  • Across our organization, we have 100% pay equity for men and women
  • There were zero cases of nonconformities related to our personnel policy in 2020

4) Prosperity

FOWIC provides affordable and sustainable shipping services facilitating economic growth and job creation across industries. We make sure all employees are protected by appropriate contracts, whether onboard our vessels or on land, in accordance with all laws and regulations.

We also embrace our responsibilities for charitable giving. In 2016, the Fred. Olsen Social Engagement Group (FOSEG) was established with a view to further strengthen Bonheur ASA’s efforts within social and charitable purposes. The group has continued its work during 2020 and focuses on supporting qualifying sustainable projects, both globally and locally.

Globally

  • FOSEG has followed up on previous years’ support towards the non-profit organization Health and Human Rights Info
  • FOSEG has close relationships with the Development Fund and is following their water irrigation projects in Ethiopia
  • FOSEG has supported rescue companies in Norway and the UK to help make sea traffic safer
  • FOSEG has supported the World Wildlife Fund in the fight against plastic in the sea

Locally

  • FOSEG supports various charities with an emphasis on stimulating self-sustainability among youth and people in general that have fallen outside the society and/or the labor market
  • During the pandemic, FOSEG supported multiple local engagements to improve the quality of life for people that had to close due to governmental restrictions

 

Did you know?

  • FOWIC vessels employ 200 people with a retention rate of 99.85%

We are committed to a brighter future

It is from these efforts and more that we aim to propel FOWIC forwards, and our business strategy is centered on making greater investments that positively impact our community and the natural environment.

We are committed to connecting and engaging daily with our employees and partners to explore new and better sustainable solutions to lift renewable wind energy to meet tomorrow’s needs.

Read our full report here.