Contecon Guayaquil is LatAm’s first CO2-neutral port

Contecon Guayaquil SA (CGSA) recently became the first port in South America to obtain a carbon-neutral certification, with the Ecuador Ministry of Environment and environmental ratings agency, Sambito SA, recognizing the company’s strong and priority commitment to the environment.

The certification marking CGSA’s compliance to ISO 14064-1 standards lauds the company’s policies that are directed and translated towards greater sustainability initiatives, as well as the incorporation of technologies that reduces the operation’s impact to Ecuador’s largest and premier maritime gateway.

“This carbon neutral certification awarded to Contecon Guayaquil is a testament of our firm and unbreakable commitment to preserve the
environment in our own way. This certification highlights, above all, a conviction and responsibility to guarantee eco-friendly and sustainable operations with less contaminating to the environment. This is our contribution for a better world,” says José Antonio Contreras, CGSA chief executive officer.

Contreras received CGSA’s ISO 14064-1 compliance plaque from Gustavo Manrique, President of Sambito, and Evelyn Montalván, Guayas Provincial Director of the Ministry of the Environment in a ceremony held last 13 December 2018.

While a lot of work is required to offset the Port of Guayaquil’s energy demands from its day-to-day operations, CGSA, as part of its continuing compliance, has set-up a team to verify and create mechanisms to lower the port’s industrial emissions.

CGSA also sponsored the preservation of 14,600 hectares of natural areas in Ecuador: 10,000 hectares of mangrove forests and 4,600 hectares of native forests as part of mitigating efforts to reduce carbon emissions from port equipment and to help in the conservation of the country’s large tracts of intact natural forests.

Across all operations, ICTSI is continuing its enhancement of energy monitoring systems, expanding the use of next generation energy-efficient cargo handling equipment and vehicle fleets, and developing productivity measures that ensures port efficiency as its move towards optimizing energy-efficient operations.

“Beyond port efficiency, the ICTSI Group has been making substantial investments to ensure an environmental-friendly supply chain, with the long-term vision of being able to secure appropriate certifications for all ports – regardless of location, project age, or stage of development,” says Anders Kjeldsen, ICTSI Senior Vice President and Regional Head of the Americas.

“CGSA’s recent achievement underscores the Group’s proactive efforts towards minimizing the impact of port operations towards hinterland communities,” he adds.

ICTSI’s largest concession in Latin America, CGSA has repeatedly been recognized for its environmental efforts. In 2010, the port received an Honorable Mention in Guayaquil’s Eco-efficiency awards. In 2015, the national government, through its Ministry of Environment, awarded CGSA the Ecuadorian Environmental Certification for being an “eco-efficient” company.

CGSA CEO receive certificate
From left to right: Gustavo Manrique, President of Sambito and Evelyn Montalván, Guayas Provincial Director of the Ministry of the Environment hands over the plaque of recognition to José Antonio Contreras, chief executive officer of Contecon Guayaquil as the first carbon-neutral port in the whole of Ecuador and Latin America.

 About CGSA
In March 2007, ICTSI was awarded by the port authority of Guayaquil, Autoridad Portuario de Guayaquil (APG), a 20-year operating concession for the Container and Multipurpose Terminals in Guayaquil, Ecuador.  Later in May, a contract was formally signed between APG and Contecon Guayaquil SA, ICTSI’s local operating unit. The terminal handles containerized, general and bulk cargo. (www.cgsa.com.ec)
 
About ICTSI
Headquartered and established in 1988 in Manila, Philippines, International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) is in the business of port development, management and operations.  As an independent business with no shipping, logistics or consignee-related interests, ICTSI works and transacts transparently with any stakeholder in the port community. ICTSI’s portfolio of terminals and projects spans developed and emerging market economies in the Asia Pacific, the Americas, and Europe, the Middle East and Africa. ICTSI has received global acclaim for its public-private partnerships with governments divesting of their port assets to the private sector. (www.ictsi.com)