CASE STUDY: Serco

Delivering energy savings at sea with Serco’s NorthLink Ferries

With their Group Environment Strategy that is aimed at addressing the environmental and climate emergencies and supporting the net zero carbon ambitions of their clients and wider society, Serco is committed to net zero carbon emissions.

Serco is paving the way to sustainable ferry operations, meeting the needs of local communities while facilitating leisure, tourism, and economic growth. Managing the Northern Isles ferry services between the Scottish mainland and the Orkney and Shetland islands significantly transforming the business to support local economies and tackle the UK’s ambition towards net zero.

With their Group Environment Strategy that is aimed at addressing the environmental and climate emergencies and supporting the net zero carbon ambitions of their clients and wider society, Serco is committed to net zero carbon emissions.

Managing the Northern Isles ferry services between the Scottish mainland and the Orkney and Shetland islands Serco is paving the way to sustainable ferry operations, meeting the needs of local communities while facilitating leisure, tourism and economic growth. It has significantly transformed the business to support local economies and tackle the UK’s ambition towards net zero.

Due to their use of marine fuel, ferries are significant emitters of carbon, however the NorthLink Ferries team worked with Transport for Scotland to identify ways to implement energy efficiency to drive down carbon emissions. Serco has introduced a bespoke monitoring system to assist carbon reporting, help evaluate performance on individual voyages, assess the impact of operational changes and benchmark sister vessel energy performance, all helping to deliver energy savings. By working with partners in Scotland, and implementing monitoring and measurement changes, NorthLink ferries was able to deliver an energy saving of 13% in 2020.