The China’s logistics and transport giant Cosco China Shipping announced that it has pledged a total ban on shark’s fin shipments.
According to Sunday Morning Post, the Asian company made a statement in a letter addressed to the offices of WildAid Hong Kong, a wildlife U.S-based conservation group.
On the document, Mr. Wan Min, President of Cosco Shipping indicates that he is committed to environmental conservation and said that no shark-fin related products will be carried by the company’s vessels, and this will be possible through stricter monitoring and regulation.
He also pointed out that they will create a policy against shark’s fin shipments, just like other container lines.
Hammerhead sharks are endangered species according to The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list
According to Straits Times, 90% of shark’s fin trade is imported by ship. However, imports fell 42% between 2010 and 2015. This is partly due an initiative from 68% of shipping and logistics companies like FedEx and UPS that have created policies against the shipment of this type of cargo.
“By acting responsibly and with great stewardship of our oceans, COSCO Shipping has joined the ranks of all the other major global container shipping lines by banning shark fin from their vessels with immediate effect,” said Alex Hofford, Wildlife Campaigner for WildAid Hong Kong.
With this action from Cosco, a reduction of shark’s fin trade is expected in Hong Kong and internationally.
The letter from Cosco China is preceded by a scandal caused by the recent finding of nearly 1 ton of fins from endangered Hammerhead sharks, inside a Cosco shipping container on board a Cosco vessel arriving from Panama.
Sources:
http://www.green4sea.com/cosco-says-no-to-shark-fin-shipments/
