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GAC Group has announced in a statement that it has become a member of the World Ocean Council (WOC), the international ocean business alliance for corporate ocean responsibility.

GAC joins more than 80 WOC members from the shipping, shipbuilding, oil & gas, fisheries, aquaculture, renewable energy, submarine cable, sectors, as well as the maritime legal and financial communities. Many of its members have a long-standing relationship with GAC companies around the world.

As an active WOC member, GAC says it will support international initiatives that promote sustainable development and conservation of the ocean, and will continue to actively pursue developments that reduce the environmental impact of shipping operations.

Christer Sjodoff, GAC's Group Vice President - Commercial, said: "The sea is our natural habitat, so it makes sense that we should do everything in our power to make sure it is sustained.

"The mission and goals of the World Ocean Council resonate well with our own determination to serve shipping and other sectors that use the world's oceans in a way that protects and preserves the delicate marine ecosystem, and the environment as a whole."

Paul Holthus, WOC founding President and CEO, remarked: "We are proud to welcome GAC to the growing WOC global alliance of leadership companies, which is generating significant interest from companies in the Mideast and Asia. GAC is exemplary of the companies that have a long term commitment to sustainability and are proving it by developing innovative business solutions to reduce industry impacts on the marine environment and improve shipping safety and efficiency."

GAC's commitment to sustainability has been demonstrated through its efforts to develop services like HullWiper, GAC EnvironHull's diver-free underwater hull cleaning system that reduces fuel consumption whilst protecting the sea from contamination by removed fouling, alien species and chemical or toxic substances.

Further, GAC-SMHI Weather Solutions - a strategic alliance between GAC and the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) - provides ship owners and operators valuable tools to plan their routes to avoid heavy weather, thus boosting fuel efficiency and reducing the risk of a loss at sea and the resulting ecological and material costs.

GAC companies in more than 50 countries around the world comply the Group's strict Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE) Policy, and are encouraged to take initiatives that reduce the impact of business on the communities it serves and operates in.

Sjodoff added: "As a group, GAC takes the long-term view for sustainable results.

"We depend on the seas for a large part of our business, so it is our joint responsibility to ensure that the oceans are protected today, tomorrow and into the future. We also look forward to the third WOC Sustainable Ocean Summit, held in Singapore from 9-11 November 2015, and encourage other leadership companies to be a part of this unique multi-industry conference on Corporate Ocean Responsibility."