International Container Terminal Services Ltd (ICTSI) has said the Contecon Guayaquil (CGSA) terminal at the Port of Guayaquil in Ecuador has handled the world’s first carbon neutral-certified container shipment, employing a logistics process involving environmentally friendly supply chain stakeholders.
The terminal operator said it achieved this milestone by collaborating with TropicalFruit Export SA, CGSA and Societe International d’Importation (SIIM) – all of which are carbon neutral certified.
The shipment of Ecuadorian bananas came from TropicalFruit, an Ecuadorian company certified as carbon neutral since 2015.
CGSA loaded the container to Antwerp-bound vessel MSC Geneva. CGSA is the first port operator in the Americas to obtain ISO 14064 carbon neutral certification.
CGSA’s certification and compensation process was performed locally by Sambito S.A.
The bananas were distributed and marketed under the SIIM brand Selvatica. SIIM, a French wholesale distributor of fruits and vegetables, is also involved in developing sustainable agriculture since 2014 through its foundation and is an advocate of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
José Antonio Contreras, CGSA Chief Executive Officer, said, “This achievement was made possible thanks to the trust of the country’s exporting companies who choose Contecon Guayaquil for their operations, who continually decides to invest in infrastructure that not only allows economic and port growth but also the preservation of the environment.”
Ecuadorian Minister of Transport and Public Works Gabriel Martínez also commented, “It’s such a source of pride for us that Contecon Guayaquil S.A., concessionaire of Guayaquil’s public port, has achieved this milestone, and that it has been the first to do so.
“We weren’t wrong last year when we released USD170 million worth of investment for this port, and we signed the addendum to give them 19 more years for the concession.”
ICTSI insisted the milestone demonstrates how exporters can certify their supply chain processes to achieve greater competitiveness and comply with global regulations.
