---

APL has introduced a new website that addresses how the world’s fourth-largest container shipping line is meeting the environmental challenges of world trade.

The new site highlights initiatives the carrier is undertaking onboard vessels and at its terminals to reduce air emissions and protect water quality.

“Moving our customers’ cargo and supporting global trade are our key objectives,” said Eng Aik Meng, President of APL.

“Equally important is the need to operate responsibly in managing our environmental footprint at sea and on land.”

According to the website, http://www.apl.com/environment/, APL has implemented numerous measures to minimize the impact of trade on the environment. They include:

* Slow steaming: APL started slow-steaming in 2009. Reducing the speed of a vessel has helped to reduce fuel consumption. Adding extra vessels has enabled APL to reduce vessel speed while maintaining weekly schedules.

* Cold-ironing: APL claims to be the first carrier to announce an initiative to cold-iron its ships at the Port of Oakland, California from 2011. Cold-ironing is an industry term for switching off a vessel’s diesel generators and relying on cleaner, shore-based electrical power. APL expects to reduce some 50,000 pounds of nitrogen oxide emissions and 1,500 pounds of particulate matter annually through cold-ironing.

* Emulsified fuel: APL is testing new technology in which a combination of water and fuel is used in the main and auxiliary engines. This system is expected to provide fuel savings and reduce nitrogen oxide emissions.

* Vessel speed reduction program: APL participates in a voluntary speed reduction program for vessels in Southern California waters. Reducing vessel speed helps to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions.

* Biodiesel fuel: At the Port of Seattle, Washington, APL uses a biodiesel blend in yard tractors and mobile container handling equipment. This blend of low-sulfur and biodiesel fuel reduces particulate matter emissions.

APL’s new website includes the company’s Environment Policy. The document states the company’s commitment to responsible environmental management across operations worldwide.