WALLENIUS SOL has been named Shipping Company of the Year by the Swedish Shipowners' Association. The newly established award is awarded to the shipping company that has made an important contribution to the Swedish merchant fleet and realising the vision of successful Swedish shipping for a sustainable world.
The award was presented at the Swedish Maritime Shipowners' Association annual general meeting on 27 April. The jury included Mark Levengood, journalist, author and presenter, Jenni Ranhagen, CEO of the Swedish Shippers' Council, Claes Berglund, Chairman of the Swedish Shipowners' Association, and Anders Hermansson, CEO of the Swedish Shipholders' Association.
The jury’s justification for the award was:
WALLENIUS SOL is named Shipping Company of the Year. The company was started as a joint venture between two well-known Swedish shipping companies. Within the framework of WALLENIUS SOL, a new logistics solution has been developed using Swedish-flagged vessels only. The new logistics solution was developed in close cooperation with transport buyers and based on the wishes and needs of customers. WALLENIUS SOL has also initiated a long-term investment in all sustainability perspectives, and cares for its employees. The company has invested no less than EUR 150 million in two state-of-the-art ConRo vessels. With the world’s largest ice-rated multi-fuel ConRo vessels leading the way – the Baltic Enabler and Botnia Enabler – WALLENIUS SOL enables sustainable infrastructure at sea in the Gulf of Bothnia and contributes to the green industrial development currently under way in northern Sweden and ensures open seaways down to the continent.
"We are very pleased and proud to receive the shipping company of the year award. It is thanks to our long-term agreements with the forestry sector that we have succeeded in these initiatives. Through their willingness to invest in sustainable solutions, we have shown that partnerships are crucial to a green transition in shipping. As a relatively new (2019) shipping company with only Swedish-flagged vessels and 100% employee ambassadors on board, we want to show that the future is bright, and we are excited about our journey towards a sustainable future for Swedish shipping," says Anders Boman, Chairman of the Board of WALLENIUS SOL
In addition to the award for Shipping Company of the Year, an honorable mention was also awarded to the shipping company Wasaline, which recently became a member of the Swedish Shipowners' Association, for their major investments in the area of sustainability.
Watch the live broadcast from the Swedish Maritime Shipowners' Association annual general meeting and the award ceremony here