Swan Hellenic partnering to restore the health of the world’s ocean

Swan Hellenic has partnered with the Philippe Cousteau Foundation on a new initiative to restore the health of the world’s oceans.

On the 18th of May, 2023, Swan Hellenic hosted the signing ceremony aboard its new vessel SH Vega. Philippe Cousteau Foundation, SDG4MED (Sustainable Development Goals for the Mediterranean), and Swan Hellenic contributed collectively to the EU Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2023”. Under the agreement, Swan Hellenic will give scientists from the two foundations opportunities to understand the state of marine ecosystems within remote regions like the African coastline, the Arctic and Antarctica.

Towards the end of 2021, the Council of the EU assigned the Commission and Parliament in Europe to advance the health of water and ocean maintenance worldwide. The EU Mission is a combined effort for the necessary operational, scientific and financial assets. All three organisations are among the first to commend the Mission Charter, which aims to build a carbon-neutral economy that plays a significant role in meeting climate neutrality. Due to the oceans being an enormous carbon sink, the crucial part of climate stability is protecting biodiversity, which includes a variety of plant and animal life in the world or a particular habitat, with the expectation to generate €2.5 trillion per year by 2030. The Mission 2030 objectives carry a 30% cutback of microplastics in the marine, distributing EU carbon neutral and circular blue economy communities.

The Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón, Institutional President of the Philippe Cousteau Foundation, marked the signing, saying: “It gives me great pleasure to see our Foundation and country involved in this landmark agreement. It is not only an important early milestone in the EU Mission to help restore the balance between human activity and the health of our planet. It is also an important commitment to the values of peace, as recognised by the involvement of the World Peace Forum, including directly in the person of its President, José Félix Bentz Oliver. As such, it is a source both of inspiration and of hope.”

The Secretary General of the Philippe Cousteau Foundation, Rafael Lobeto Lobo and former Director General of the Spanish Merchant Navy expressed: “Life on Earth depends on the health of the connected system of the oceans, seas and inland waters, which cover around 75% of the Earth’s surface. It regulates our climate and provides oxygen, drinking water, clean energy and food. Yet man-made changes are putting our ocean and waters at serious risk, with pollution and global heating causing biodiversity loss and extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and heatwaves.”

The CEO Andrea Zito from Swan Hellenic added: “These ambitions are embedded in our DNA. All of Swan Hellenic’s ships are equipped with cutting-edge green technologies, including the latest generation tier III diesel engines with urea injection, dynamic positioning systems to avoid anchoring in delicate seabed locations, and advanced wastewater treatment plants. We have also increasingly eliminated “single-use plastics” on board as supported by supply chain availability in remote areas.”

Philippe Cousteau Foundation, SDG4MED and Swan Hellenic have all committed to the restoration mission, which aims to educate and encourage schools, seafarers and fishermen to gain greater knowledge about our marine ecosystems. SDG4MED have made the “Life4MEDECA Knowledge Centre” accessible for communities to gain information through seminars, projects and initiatives, which Swan Hellenic stated they would continuously invest in the latest technologies and processes.

This new partnership is essential in recognising that individual action is plausible but not entirely sufficient, as The President, Mario Dogliani, at SDG4MED, explained: “Acting together will greatly amplify what we are able to achieve through our efforts. This partnership offers us a vital tool – Swan Hellenic’s ships and their destinations – to collect data on ocean health with previously inconceivable reach and granularity. Data collected in rarely accessed ocean areas will improve the accuracy of scientists’ assessments of ocean health and its evolution. Moreover, the direct involvement of Swan Hellenic crew and guests paves the way for a new era of sustainable, ecologically aware cruising.”

He continued: “Oceans are like humans,” observed Zito. “A full picture of health parameters enables effective medical treatment. Using commercial ships as sensors of Ocean Health is just common sense and I am pleased that Swan Hellenic is able to help make this a reality and best practice. Our new commitment with this partnership is in many ways a natural extension of our existing practice of inviting cruise guests to actively contribute to a series of leading “Citizen Science” programmes, providing data on the environment and marine life, while building their awareness and knowledge of scientific initiatives”.

For more information regarding Swan Hellenic, please call our Voyage Consultants on 0800 008 6677.