Ethics
Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2016 1:35 pm
As some know I work in shipping with one of the worlds largest shippinglines.
This being MSC, Mediterranean Shipping Company.
As it happened I had an intern to work with today, so we talked work, my job, and a lot about shipping in general.
With 15 years of experience I know the ropes a bit, and my memory helps. Got a lot of stories to tell.
So the young lady asked about the importance of the Port of Rotterdam with regards to bunkering.
Bunkering - refueling of ships.
So true, yes Rotterdam is cheap, and we got to talk about it.
We have one of the planet´s largest Petro-Industrial complexes, with almost every major western oilcompany having a refinery here.
Massive storagefacilites, and a deep-waterport.
We talked about clean fuels, and I asked a simple question:
Desulphuring of fuel happens here, what happens with the sulfurous compounds removed from the fuel??
Sulfur-free fuels are mandatory here, for cars and ships alike.
So she said, I don´t know, bear in mind she´s a College-student in Logistical Management, no dumb girl.
Do you see any yellow hills near refineries? I asked. No, Do you see yellow smoke? No, it´s banned.
So where do you leave the bad stuff, ship it out? No....??
The refineries mix it back and sell it in low-grade oil, gasoline, diesel etc. for the markets in the Far East and Africa.
In effect Europe exports its pollution !!
No acid rain here like in the 70´´s, but in Africa nowadays.
The irony is staggering, the oil we get from Nigeria is almost the best on earth, with zero sulfur-content.
The gasoline they use is very highly enriched with the stuff.
She was shocked, then I asked.
One of our biggest customers is Trafigura, who have made their fortune doing this kind of work.
It´s not illegal, but is it ethical?
No, obviously not she said.....
Another question then:
What´s more ethical. Helping a business like Trafigura ship out their trashy fuel to Africa, or refusing to treat it, and get fired because headquarters asks your boss to sack you for dereliction of duty??
So I concluded:
It´s an easy choice if you are young and have no financial responsibilities to speak of.
If you are the sole breadwinner like I am, it´s quite another.
Ethics in the end is a hobby to indulge in for people who are financially independent.
This being MSC, Mediterranean Shipping Company.
As it happened I had an intern to work with today, so we talked work, my job, and a lot about shipping in general.
With 15 years of experience I know the ropes a bit, and my memory helps. Got a lot of stories to tell.
So the young lady asked about the importance of the Port of Rotterdam with regards to bunkering.
Bunkering - refueling of ships.
So true, yes Rotterdam is cheap, and we got to talk about it.
We have one of the planet´s largest Petro-Industrial complexes, with almost every major western oilcompany having a refinery here.
Massive storagefacilites, and a deep-waterport.
We talked about clean fuels, and I asked a simple question:
Desulphuring of fuel happens here, what happens with the sulfurous compounds removed from the fuel??
Sulfur-free fuels are mandatory here, for cars and ships alike.
So she said, I don´t know, bear in mind she´s a College-student in Logistical Management, no dumb girl.
Do you see any yellow hills near refineries? I asked. No, Do you see yellow smoke? No, it´s banned.
So where do you leave the bad stuff, ship it out? No....??
The refineries mix it back and sell it in low-grade oil, gasoline, diesel etc. for the markets in the Far East and Africa.
In effect Europe exports its pollution !!
No acid rain here like in the 70´´s, but in Africa nowadays.
The irony is staggering, the oil we get from Nigeria is almost the best on earth, with zero sulfur-content.
The gasoline they use is very highly enriched with the stuff.
She was shocked, then I asked.
One of our biggest customers is Trafigura, who have made their fortune doing this kind of work.
It´s not illegal, but is it ethical?
No, obviously not she said.....
Another question then:
What´s more ethical. Helping a business like Trafigura ship out their trashy fuel to Africa, or refusing to treat it, and get fired because headquarters asks your boss to sack you for dereliction of duty??
So I concluded:
It´s an easy choice if you are young and have no financial responsibilities to speak of.
If you are the sole breadwinner like I am, it´s quite another.
Ethics in the end is a hobby to indulge in for people who are financially independent.