Cargo Business Techwire

Friday, February 19, 2016

OOCL stops shipping shark, whale and dolphin

Conservationists are urging Cathay Pacific as well as the government to show more commitment to shark conservation after locally based container shipping giant Orient Overseas Container Line announced it would stop shipping shark, whale and dolphin.

In a message to customers on Monday, Hong Kong’s OOCL, which is owned by the family of former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa, said it would not accept cargo bookings for whale, shark, dolphin and their related products with immediate effect in a commitment to sustainability and best practices in the industry.

Prior to OOCL’s move, Geneva-based
Mediterranean Shipping Company, the second-largest shipping company in the world, announced

on January 21 that it had placed an embargo on any consignment containing shark fins or other shark-related products with immediate effect as a commitment to preserving the marine environment.

"We congratulate OOCL on their blanket ban on all shark fin cargo shipments. We are thrilled that they have seen fit to follow their industry competitor MSC, who also announced [they were becoming] 100 per cent shark free in January," said Alex Hofford, a wildlife campaigner from the local branch of WildAid, which is dedicated to stopping illegal wildlife trade by reducing demand through public awareness campaigns.

For more of the South China Morning Post story: www.scmp.com