INTRODUCTION
This is the first anti-slavery, child labour and human trafficking statement published in relation to the activities of the ESVAGT group of companies in accordance with section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (the “Act”).
ORGANISATION
ESVAGT is a dedicated provider of safety and support at sea and is market leader within offshore wind solutions. The services offered comprise Service Operation Vessels (SOV`s) supporting offshore wind farms, and Emergency Response and Rescue Vessels (ERRV`s) working as stand by and service vessels for offshore oil and gas companies.
ESVAGT A/S is the ultimate holding company of the ESVAGT group and is registered in Denmark with its main office located in Esbjerg. The only companies within the ESVAGT group which carry on business in the United Kingdom are ESVAGT Holdings Ltd and ESVAGT UK Ltd.
ESVAGT Holdings Limited is a holding company and does not supply any goods or services and is not, therefore, a ‘commercial organization’ within the meaning of section 54 of the Act. ESVAGT UK Ltd is a ‘commercial organization’ within the meaning of the Act but its total turnover for year ended 31 December 2022 (being the latest available audited accounts) was below the amount prescribed by law and so is not required to prepare an anti-slavery and human trafficking statement.
Nevertheless, ESVAGT is fully committed to conducting its business to the highest standards in an ethical and socially responsible manner and so has prepared this statement on a voluntary basis.
RELEVANT POLICIES
ESVAGT is fully committed to conducting its business to the highest standards in an ethical and socially responsible manner and also expects its business partners (e.g. suppliers, contractors and joint venture partners) to follow the same standards when doing business with ESVAGT. ESVAGT complies with the UN Global Compact and universally recognized normative standards such as the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
We expect all our business partners to avoid the use of, and not to benefit from, any form of forced or involuntary labour, child labour or human trafficking in their own businesses and to pay all their employees a fair compensation in accordance with applicable national laws and regulations.
DUE DILIGENCE
Our own business
ESVAGT operates mostly in northern Europe, and it is our assessment that the risk of slavery, child labour or human traffic taking place in our own business is low.
Our supply chain
We carry out due diligence on our principal direct suppliers to ensure that they meet our high ethical standards of behavior.
Through ESVAGTs Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) procedure we assess, manage and monitor supplier performance. This procedure assists in identifying critical suppliers who are given a supplier risk profile from A -critical supply to E- non- critical supply (indirect spend) and a relationship score from 1-4. Critical suppliers shall complete ESVAGTs self- assessment questionnaire which includes ESVAGTs Code of Conduct including complying with guiding principles of human rights such questionnaire, if being deemed relevant, being followed up with supplier assessment and/or supplier audit. The criteria for onboarding, procurement and evaluating suppliers depend on the impact which a supplier is deemed to have on ESVAGTs final product being operation of vessels as not all suppliers are considered to impose the same risk and impact on ESVAGT. As illustration, ESVAGT has a large number of smaller suppliers – 50% of the suppliers deliver below 50,000 DKR a year (<7000 Euro per year) to which this anti-slavery statement does not apply.
EFFECTIVENESS
ESVAGT is committed to improving its effectiveness in ensuring that slavery, child labour and human trafficking is not taking place in any part of its business or principal direct supply chain.
REVIEW
As our UK activities are expected to grow in the coming years, we are committed to review this anti – slavery statement on an annual basis and to take such further actions as may be necessary to ensure compliance with the Act and to combat slavery, child labour and human trafficking in any form. Next fiscal year we will, among other initiatives required to support our UK business growth, adopt an anti-slavery policy as part of our Governance and training program and further we intent to include the Act explicitly in the supplier self-assessment questionnaire.
This statement has been approved by the board of directors of ESVAGT UK Limited.