Norwegian shipowner Torvald Klaveness has called for owners to give something back after making money from war disruption.
The company has donated a share of its 2022 revenue to the Red Cross to provide humanitarian aid to support victims of conflict.
With tankers in particular making more money from changed trade flows after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Klaveness said chief executive Ernst Meyer believes it is only right that financial help is offered.
He is encouraging others in shipping and international trade to do the same, the company told TradeWinds.
Klaveness has pledged NOK 16m ($1.6m) as a donation to the Norwegian Red Cross and the Norwegian Refugee Council.
The funds will be spent on humanitarian aid in Ukraine and its neighbouring countries, but also in Somalia where a desperate situation has been aggravated by the war.
The donation is in addition to the support Torvald Klaveness has given to people in need in Oslo.
“After many difficult years in shipping, our sector is now profiting from increasing freight prices,” said Meyer.
“These might be good years for shipping, but difficult ones for the world and Torvald Klaveness believes it is only right to share our revenue with Ukrainians and other victims of war through two of the world’s most renowned humanitarian organisations,” he added.
The Norwegian Red Cross and the Norwegian Refugee Council have large and effective humanitarian programmes reaching millions of people in need due to disrupted supply lines and expensive fuel, food and fertilisers.
Broken supply lines
“We are extremely thankful for the generous gift from Torvald Klaveness. It will enable us to scale up lifesaving assistance in Ukraine and its neighbouring countries but also in Somalia where hunger is spreading because supply lines for grain from Russia and Ukraine have broken down,” said secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, Jan Egeland.
