Cargotec joins Baltic Sea Action Summit joint venture to save the Baltic Sea

President of the Republic of Finland Tarja Halonen, Prime Minister of Finland Matti Vanhanen and Chairman of the Baltic Sea Action Group (BSAG) Ilkka Herlin opened today the Baltic Sea Action Summit (BSAS) joint venture. They invite the heads of state and governments around the Baltic Sea as well as public and private sectors to participate with commitments for concrete actions to save the Baltic Sea.

Cargotec is one of the companies participating in the joint venture and it presented its commitment at the opening ceremony taking place today, 19 May, in the House of the Estates in Helsinki, Finland. “Environmental targets are defined for the different phases of the supply chain: beginning from the purchasing and logistics of incoming components and ending to the actual products and their appropriate usage”, says Mikael Mäkinen, President and CEO of Cargotec Corporation. “Cargotec has specified the following concrete target levels: logistical effectiveness, energy-efficient production, sustainable products and services and training to efficient and energy-saving usage of the products”, he continues.

At the official opening of the joint venture, Igor Maydanov, the chairman of Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) expressed his gratitude for the BSAS’s initiative by saying: “Today I dare to say that not only I wish, but I am confident that we will leave our children and their children a cleaner Baltic Sea than what it is today.”

Cargotec has been active in supporting the cooperation and research around the Baltic Sea since the beginning of 2007. There are many factors causing the problems to the state of the Baltic Sea: eutrophication, pollution and oxygen depletion of the sea bottom or acute hazards as oil catastrophes. According to recent studies, climate change seems to increase the above mentioned problems. The Baltic Sea is essential for Cargotec’s business. Thus it is natural that Cargotec wants to invest in the healthier future of the sea by supporting concrete conservation measures.

Cargotec invites other companies, cooperation partners and interest groups to participate in this important mission.

More information about Baltic Sea Action Group: www.bsag.fi/en

Cargotec improves the efficiency of cargo flows by offering handling systems and the related services for the loading and unloading of goods. Cargotec’s brands, Hiab, Kalmar and MacGREGOR, are global market leaders in their fields and their solutions are used on land and at sea – wherever cargo is on the move. Extensive services close to customers ensure the continuous usability of equipment. Cargotec is the technology leader in its field, its R&D focusing on innovative solutions that take environmental considerations into account. Cargotec’s sales totalled EUR 3.4 billion in 2008 and it employs approximately 11,000 people. Cargotec’s class B shares are quoted on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki.

www.cargotec.com