The Bell Rock Lighthouse was completed in 1811 by famed lighthouse builder Robert Stevenson, grandfather of Robert Louis Stevenson. It was Scotland’s greatest engineering feat at the time - a huge construction challenge and a testament to human ingenuity and endurance and reckoned to be one of the seven wonders of the industrial world. Upon its centenary in 1911, our founder, James Lyle Mackay, took his title from the reef on which the lighthouse stood - the Inchcape Rock, 11 miles off the coast of his home town of Arbroath on the east coast of Scotland.

200 years later, to celebrate these historical events, ISS sponsored the Bell Rock Lighthouse Bicentenary Conference in Edinburgh, in the presence Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal, customers, dignitaries and maritime journalists. To mark the occasion our CEO Capt. Claus Hyldager launched the ISS Lighthouse Relay Voyage, a major Corporate Social Responsibility initiative benefiting disadvantaged communities in all the countries around the world where ISS does business.

A commemorative baton containing a scroll with all nominated charities listed on it was handed to our UK General Manager, Kevin Cool, marking the start of the Relay Voyage. Now each ISS country GM will arrange to transport the baton to the next country with the support where possible of our customers’ vessels, progressing the voyage around the world.

Each charity has been chosen by our local country managers who have embraced this CSR initiative wholeheartedly and who are now responsible for organising the necessary events to raise funds for local causes. Their aim is to ensure donations reach our minimum target of US$1,000 per country plus match funding by ISS of a further US$1,000.

At each relay port when the baton departs on board ship bound for the next country, a brief handover ceremony will be held. The ISS country GM or Port Manager, a representative of the benefiting charity, the port or terminal’s own management and the ship’s Master will be present and a cheque or pledge will be presented by ISS to the Charity representative.

“This will be an ongoing initiative marking our commitment to helping the sick, the underprivileged and disadvantaged in those places where we operate.” ISS CEO Capt. Claus Hyldager speaking at the Conference in Edinburgh, February 2011