RightShip colleagues clean up

Rob extended the request to RightShip colleagues after the success of a similar event held back in 2020 during the pandemic. He wrote: “Since the inception of Genco we have been committed to protecting the environment and engaging like-minded individuals in our vision to save our seas. 

“A united effort with like-minded organizations - RightShip, North American Marine Environment Protection Association (AMEPA), GS Shipmanagement and Genco - to undertake a global beach cleanup, demonstrates a unique opportunity to engage members of the maritime ecosystem and inspire peers within our sphere of influence to actively take steps to ‘Save our Seas’.”

In Singapore, 35 colleagues and family members donned matching shirts to join a clean-up at Pasir Ris Beach Park, situated in the eastern part of Singapore. Matched into groups of four, the dedicated team combed the whole 1.3km of ‘Area 1’ collecting 142kg of rubbish. Items found included shoes, tins, bottle caps, loads of bags, packets, cartons and even barrels made from plastic.

RightShip colleagues in the US, who are not based near the ocean, chose to collect litter near their homes, so as not to cancel out the good intentions of a seaside-based pick by emitting carbon from their vehicles to get to a coastal location.

CEO Steen Lund even committed to a clear up while on holiday in Denmark with his family, though when they arrived at the beach in Jutland, he was overjoyed to find the shoreline pristine, with not a single piece of debris for he and his team to collect.

Those team members who haven’t taken part so far will keep their eyes peeled for rubbish when out in their local neighbourhoods, or on holiday at the beach, making sure to safely bin it nearby, or take it home and pop it in their own bins.

In Singapore, details of the trash collected by the 35 volunteers were shared with the National Environmental Agency of Singapore, although litter found by the ocean can also be logged on a new app called Eyesea.

This app is used by volunteers across the world to record and submit images and locations of pollution, simply by taking a picture through the app that identifies and locates ocean, coastal, and waterway pollution. Eyesea then put the picture onto a chart and provides the anonymised data to anyone who wants to do good with it. The organisation believes seafarers and those who love the beach hold the key to solving the problem of maritime pollution.

Congratulations to all involved for working to Save our Seas – and keep up the good work.