Wallenius Lines and its parent company, Soya Group, took an active role in the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), held in Nice from June 9 to 13. Hosted by France and Costa Rica, the conference brought together world leaders, researchers, civil society, and businesses to accelerate action for the protection of our oceans – in line with Goal 14 of the UN 2030 Agenda.
At the heart of the conference was the adoption of a political declaration – the Nice Action Plan – aimed at strengthening global cooperation and driving more ambitious ocean policies. Sweden’s delegation was led by the Minister for Climate and Environment, Romina Pourmokhtari, and included representatives from government agencies, academia, business – and Crown Princess Victoria.
Representing Soya Group and Wallenius were Helene Samuelsson, VP Group Communications, and Elisabet Liljeblad, Sustainability Specialist. Their focus: pushing for a global ban on open-loop scrubbers – a practice that allows ships to continue burning heavy fuel oil by discharging polluted washwater directly into the sea.
“More than 25 percent of marine fuel today is heavy fuel oil – only allowed if used with a scrubber. This results in acidic, contaminated water being released straight into the ocean,” said Helene Samuelsson during a high-level seminar organized by the Swedish Institute for the Marine Environment.
Wallenius was specifically invited to the seminar “The scrubber case – time for a glocal solution” to present the shipping industry’s perspective on this urgent issue. The panel also included government representatives from Denmark, France, and Sweden, the IMO, the Oslo-Paris Commission (OSPAR), and researchers from Chalmers and the University of Gothenburg.
“Science is clear. Scrubbers harm the marine environment – and in the absence of global regulations, an increasing number of countries and ports are already restricting their use. We believe it’s time for a unified global ban,” Helene added.
Wallenius Lines has long been a vocal advocate for sustainable shipping. Rather than relying on transitional technologies like scrubbers, the company supports long-term solutions that promote real emission reductions and innovation in both shipping and fuel production.
“The shipping industry needs policies that steer us toward sustainable technologies – not those that maintain outdated systems,” said Elisabet Liljeblad. “The conference in Nice gave us a unique platform to highlight that perspective, and the seminar sparked important discussions that we hope will influence future decisions.”
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