Hagland is subject to the Norwegian Transparency Act and has a duty to carry out human right’s due diligence, to ensure that we do not contribute to adverse impacts on human rights through sourcing of goods and services.
Hagland’s Supplier Code of Conduct can be downloaded here.
Concerns regarding violation of laws, internal policies or human rights can be reported here.
Åpenhetsloven / Norwegian Transparency Act
Lov om virksomheters åpenhet og arbeid med grunnleggende menneskerettigheter og anstendige arbeidsforhold («Åpenhetsloven») trådte i kraft 1. juli 2022. Virksomheter som er omfattet av loven er forpliktet til å offentliggjøre en redegjørelse for sine aktsomhetsvurderinger.
Redegjørelse for Hagland-konsernet som gjelder fra 1. januar 2023 til 31. desember 2023 kan lastes ned her.
Photo by: UAVPIC
The Norwegian Transparency Act entered into force on 1 July, 2022. Businesses that are covered by the Act are required to perform due diligence of business partners and its supply chain to prevent negative consequences for basic human rights and decent working conditions. Businesses are also required to publish an account of their due diligence assessments.
This is Hagland’s account for the period 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023. The official version (in Norwegian) can be downloaded here. The following is a version in English:
The group’s parent company R.G. Hagland AS offers shipbroking services within the dry cargo, offshore and tanker markets as well as fishing/aquaculture. The shipbroker services are carried out under the brand name Hagland Shipbrokers, which also includes part-owned companies in Esbjerg, Hamburg and Aberdeen. The parent company R.G. Hagland AS also provides services to other companies in the group related to shipping operations and administrative support such as accounting and secretarial services. Hagland Agency provides ship agency services to ships calling the Haugesund region.
At the end of 2023, the group’s shipping business Hagland Shipping comprised a fleet of 13 self-discharging bulk carriers of approx. 3,700-4,900 DWT. The ships operate on contracts of affreightment and in the spot marked, servicing industrial companies in Northern European.
The real estate business Hagland Eiendom includes the purchase, operation and sale of properties and participation in other companies with similar purposes. The real estate activities of the company, including subsidiaries, comprise over 20 properties/buildings with totalling approx. 33,500 square meters which are predominantly commercial properties for rent, in addition to land areas under development for commercial and/or residential purposes. The group’s properties are primarily located in the Haugesund region.
The business Hagland Finans comprises accounting services and business management for companies within the Hagland group and a range of external customers. Hagland Finans AS is registered as an approved accounting company by the Norwegian Financial Supervisory Authority (“Finanstilsynet”).
The company Storm & Bull Shipping AS is agent for a number of international shipyards and service companies, and acts as an intermediary between these yards and shipping companies operating in/from Norway.
As a service provider, Hagland is dependent on its reputation and trust among customers, clients and others. Good business ethics and honesty are crucial for our competitiveness, and implies that we strive to act in an appropriate and ethical manner in all contexts. Our choice of suppliers reflects what we ourselves stand for. We therefore expect our suppliers and business partners to act in a similar manner.
The Hagland group has its own Ethical guidelines which include respect and compliance with basic human rights and decent working conditions, not only among its own employees but also with suppliers. The group’s management and board are ultimately responsible.
From a group perspective, the various businesses mentioned have significant differences in organisation and operation, which also imply significantly different probabilities for potential negative consequences regarding basic human rights and decent working conditions. Based on a risk-based approach, it is the shipping business Hagland Shipping which is deemed to entail the highest probability of any negative conditions.
Shipbroking, ship agent and shipyard representation activities are all characterised by the fact that the services provided are as an intermediary between shipping companies and/or port/terminal/shipyard. Even if these are thus not considered suppliers or business partners in the usual sense (i.e. in relation to the Transparency Act), it is nevertheless important to Hagland that all the parties with whom we conduct business respect and live up to the same expectations when it comes to basic human rights and working conditions. At the same time, it is of important to note that the majority of these companies are themselves large Norwegian and international businesses that have established similar guidelines for their own operations.
As the shipbroking, ship agent and shipyard representation activities, as well as Hagland Finans, are only service providers, their own suppliers and business partners are largely limited to providers of financial services (insurance, pension), IT/telecommunications, etc.
With regards to Hagland Shipping, the operation of owned and chartered ships is covered by international regulations (SOLAS and STCW) which deal with, among other things, safety and working conditions at sea. Agreements between Norwegian and foreign seamen’s organizations and the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association specify minimum requirements for, among other things, salary conditions. Within Hagland Shipping’s trading area, there are certain geographical areas where there may be an increased risk of uncovering objectionable conditions related to basic human rights and decent working conditions, for example while undergoing ship repairs in other countries for the company’s ships.
The group has developed a “Supplier Code of Conduct”, highlighting the requirements placed on our suppliers. Our website provides the possibility of anonymous notification through a separate form. We continue working to develop our system for due diligence and supplier evaluation. In addition to helping to uncover any objectionable conditions, the purpose of these measures is to further raise awareness among our own employees, suppliers, business partners and other interested parties about our requirements and expectations.
Through our due diligence assessments, there has not been uncovered or brought to Hagland’s knowledge any objectionable conditions relating to basic human rights and decent working conditions.
Haugesund, 18 June 2024