What we stand for

The year 2023 marks another milestone for the GEFO Shipping Group on the road to a sustainable future. 

When it comes to the current rejuvenation of our inland fleet, sustainability has top priority: all newbuildings will be equipped with low-emission engines or even hybrid-electric propulsion systems. 

This investment program ends in summer 2024, but a new program is on its way. GEFO is investing in ten of the latest generation of seagoing tankers with lower fuel consumption and fewer emissions. 

With such investments, but also for instance with our commitment to the Baltic Sea Action Group (see page 33), GEFO is underlining its dedication to greater sustainability and less environmental impact in shipping. More than 90 Green Awards and the Ecovadis Silver Medal prove the success of our activities. 

Safety on board is also a top priority for GEFO. With safety trainings and mental health seminars, cooperations with WMU and Stella Maris, our Ship Visits program, numerous internal audits and much more, we achieve our main goals: zero accidents and zero spills. 

In our Sustainability report 2023 you will find more about our enduring commitment to a safe and sustainable future. Enjoy reading! 

GEFO rigorously adheres to HSSEQ standards, and we strive to exceed common industry standards. GEFO embraces safety as a value, as well as claiming safety as a priority. We take the health of our ecosystems as seriously as the wellbeing of our employees, in particular the marine environment. To this end, we constantly challenge our own way of working and invest in new technologies. Alternative fuels asscoiated with sustainability (Hydrogen, Methanol, Ammonia, E-Fuels) and alternative propusion technologies are being developed and partially already available. We continue to reduce our environmental footprint by minimising energy consumption and preserving resources. We welcome annual assessment by the independent organisation Ecovadis. In 2021 GEFO achieves a silver-standard rating in the category Sea and Coastal Water Transport.

Hamburg´s new landmark, the Elbphilharmonie, built on a historical Kaispeicher (warehouse) from 1875, with convex and concave windows – and in front, M/T Tosca, the new flagship of GEFO, the world´s first chemical tanker with low emission LNG propulsion in the segment below 10,000 dwt. Effect: CO2 -25 %, SOx -100 %, nitrogen oxides -80 %, particulate matters -95 %. Sister vessels M/T Norma and M/T Arabella are LNG-ready. Each vessel with 14 stainless-steel tanks and ice class 1A. One tanker of the fleet of 150 tankers belonging to GEFO. 26 new buildings to reduce pollutant emissions. Which tanker will sail for you?

Passing the famous Castle “Pfalz”, since six centuries safe in the waters of the River Rhine, one of Europe´s busiest waterways – the new gastanker M/T “Slot Dover” from GEFO. Four new sister vessels in 2022 and 2023: Slot York, Schloss Imola, Schloss Quedlinburg, Schloss Tramontana. All five new gastankers with Stage V engines according to new EU-standards and SCR-Catalysts. Most modern technology sets new benchmarks in their class by reducing hydrocarbons by 81 %, nitrogen oxides by 97 % and particulate matters by 95 %.

Undoubtedly an architectural highlight: the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam – and in full swing and fully loaded M/T “Botticelli”, the newest chemical tanker of GEFO, equipped with eight stainless-steel tanks, built in 2021. Four additional stainless-steel tankers will join in 2022, all named after painters who were ahead of their time: Canaletto, Tintoretto, Allegretto and Benedetto. All four new chemical tankers with Stage V engines according to new EU-standards and SCR-Catalysts. Most modern technology sets new benchmarks in their class by reducing hydrocarbons by 81 %, nitrogen oxides by 97 % and particulate matters by 95 %.

A golden night fairy tale? Anyhow M/T “Corelli” in dry dock, one new build from a series of six new identical chemical tankers of GEFO with a streamlined and optimised underwater hull in order to reduce fuel consumption by up to 30% and lower pollutant emissions by 30%. Each tanker with 12 stainless-steel tanks.