Business ethics

The Vroon Code of Conduct:

• Driven by the five Core Values that govern all our operations;
• Describes the way of working we adhere to;
• Details the standards we apply;
• Defines our commitment to all employees and stakeholders;
• Directs the way forward in an evolving industry.

The Vroon Code of Conduct is written for:

• All employees, at sea and in our offices. Our way of working is, at all times, in line with this Code. Our actions reflect the Code. Ignorance of the Code may never be an excuse. It is the responsibility of all managers to ensure their teams understand and apply this Code.
• All stakeholders, customers and business partners. The Code is a public statement of our commitment to the Vision, Mission and Core Values. It is an undertaking that we will do our utmost to provide high-quality, safe services to all business relations, while at the same time caring for and protecting our colleagues and the environment.
• All suppliers of goods and services. The Code sets out our requirements and expectations. We expect our suppliers to apply similar standards in their ways of working.

The Code of Conduct will guide and support you in:

• Understanding what Vroon expects from you;
• Complying with the laws, regulations and standards that apply to our Company;
• Upholding the Vroon values and protecting our reputation;
• Conducting yourself honestly and ethically;
• Making the right decisions, day-in, day-out;
• Understanding where to go to request assistance or advice, or to share a concern.

To this end, we have created a Business Ethics Committee.

The Vroon Business Ethics Committee comprises experts from various disciplines. The Committee meets several times a year and reports regularly to the Board of Directors. It is your point of contact for any issues or concerns related to fraud or corruption.

The Committee is responsible for:

• Ensuring the Code of Conduct is widely communicated and proposing any changes deemed necessary;
• Listening to, supporting and advising employees and other stakeholders;
• Reviewing input and statistics, e.g. Crew vacancy fraud attempts, invoice phishing attempts, reports received via ethics@vroon.nl;
• Addressing resulting action items and follow-up actions;
• Submitting recommendations to the Board of Directors on any ethics-related issues and drawing its attention to potential challenges to our activities on ethical grounds;
• Reviewing any relevant communications relating to ethics at Vroon, in particular those from international governmental and non-governmental organisations;
• Assisting in preparation of specific local practices or policies;
• Initiating training for office and sea-going personnel and maintaining relevant statistics.