There is a fleet of massive ships sailing on the high seas with the following impressive names: Climate Pledge, Climate Respect, Climate Justice and Climate Ethics. 

The average person would be forgiven if they thought that these ships were engaged in addressing solutions to climate change.  Are these ships powered by alternative energy, by wind or solar?  Hell no. Are they more fuel efficient than similar vessels? Not really. Do they burn dirty crude oil – absolutely.

Are these ships engaged in activities that make them more carbon neutral than ships of a similar size?  Do they burn cleaner fuel? Do they burn fuel more efficiently?  The answer is no.

So, what do they have that other ships do not? Ahhh, apparently, they have scrubbers on their exhaust. Well then, I guess they are entitled to their names. Wow scrubbers, and cool ecologically correct names.

Are these ships engaged in hauling cargo that is not harmful to the planet? Again the answer is no. The primary trade is hauling coal from Australia and Canada to Japan, China, and South Korea. The company’s answer to this is that the coal they haul is used for smelting iron and producing steel and is not used in coal fired generator plants.

It’s a relief to hear that the 40,000 tons of coal delivered from just one ship will not produce electricity for people, but it will produce 80,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide for the benefit of industry.

Just what are these ships?

1. The M/V Climate Justice. (IMO: 9942237) Bulk Carrier. Built in 2023. Gross tonnage: 48,400 LOA: 229 meters. Flagged Cyprus. Currently in Vancouver loading 40,000 tons of coal. Justice is delivered with every ton of coal transported.
2. The M/V Climate Respect. (IMO: 99322737) Bulk Carrier. LOA: 228.5 meters. 87,290  DWT. LOA: 229.5 METERS. Built in 2022.  Flagged in Cyprus. CURRENTLY ENROUTE TO CHINA. Respect for the environment is delivered with every ton of coal delivered.
3. The M/V Climate Ethics. IMO. 9942225. Built in 2023 87,286 DWT. LOA: 228.5 meters. Flagged in Cyprus. Every ton of coal is ethically delivered. 
4. The M/V Climate Pledge. IMO 9932749. BUILT IN 2022 bulk carrier.   86,461 DWT. LOA: 229 Meters. Flagged in Cyprus. Currently in Vancouver loading coal and pledging to deliver ethically, respectfully and in the interest of environmental justice.

All four ships are owned by the Monaco based company Safe Bulkers. The Chairman of the Board of Safe Bulkers is Cypriot born billionaire Polys Haji-Ioannou, the major shareholder of EasyJet. He lives in Monaco. He owns two large yachts and a private jet.

So how is it that Mr. Haji-Ioannou has four huge, diesel guzzling super-sized bulk carriers engaged in hauling cargoes of coal from Canada and Australia to China, South Korea and Japan and he gets to name his ships like they are environmental crusading vessels addressing the issue of Climate Change?

Because he can, it makes him look good and presumably makes him feel good.

Anyone can be an environmentalist these days simply by declaring themselves as an environmentalist. They can jet off in private planes to environmental conferences and they can throw around words like “sustainability” and “carbon credits” as if the words mean something.

For years I have warned that environmental activism would be co-opted by governments and corporations. The word sustainable is now freely used on products that are not sustainable, alternative energies that are not alternative, organic foods that are not necessarily organic and of course the use of words to cover up destruction and damage. Words like the Canadian “Seal Protection Act” that was established to protect the sealing industry for example.

It appears you just market your products with the right words because it does not matter what the truth is as long as people believe something is true.

Now the annual U.N. Climate Change conferences are sponsored by fossil fuel companies, corrupt governments, and Coca Cola. One of the reasons nothing substantial ever comes out of these charades.

Nothing, absolutely nothing has changed regarding remedies for addressing climate change. Governments make promises they have no intention of keeping and corporations simply find ways to capitalize on the crisis and thus we have companies like Rolex, Allianz, and Austral Fisheries funding groups to deradicalize them. Or groups certifying products as ecologically good or sustainable in return for donations. 

Funding from corporations has a way of watering down activism to not cause embarrassment to the corporation thereby watering down the effectiveness of actions yet at the same time giving the impression that they really care for the environment and for endangered species by supporting known activist groups. Funding often comes with stipulations and restrictions forcing the groups to be influenced to become mainstream as we are witnessing with Sea Shepherd Global. Not always, but organizations need to be wary of required restrictions and stipulations because as soon as an organization agrees to such, the organization is compromised.

So, this month we have a ship loading 40,000 tons of coal in Vancouver bound for China and the name of the ship is CLIMATE JUSTICE.

I think this illustrates how issues can be compromised with just simple words. 

Unfortunately, most people believe what they want to believe and generally the public is easily manipulated with misleading and false information.

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