Green Marine expansion is eyed with pilot projects in several new countries
Above and beyondGreen Marine has launched pilot projects to assess the feasibility of expanding the environmental certification program in Australia and introducing it to Mexico and the Bahamas.
“As our program has gained international recognition with Green Marine Europe’s launch four years ago and the steadily increasing North American participation, we’ve had more interest from other regions,” confirms David Bolduc, Green Marine International’s president and CEO.
“I would also like to think it speaks to the value that others see in the inclusiveness, transparency and rigour that are Green Marine’s DNA as they seek a clear framework to relate their sustainability improvements to community and other stakeholders who are increasingly requiring environmental accountability.”
The pilot projects involve looking at what adjustments, if any, might be needed to keep the program sufficiently demanding at each level beyond the monitoring of regulations in other parts of the world.
“Exercising Green Marine’s usual due diligence, we’re testing the validity and flexibility of our model that has proven itself time and again in North America and has successfully been exported to Europe,” Bolduc says. “What’s great is how we’ve built into our model to hold all our participants to the same high standards while recognizing that environmental priorities and regulations might differ regionally or in terms of particular types of maritime operations.”
All this follows a significant amount of time and money invested into the program’s Smart Guide. “The online tool that our participating membership uses to complete the annual self-evaluation is sufficiently flexible that we can specify criteria for particular regions and types of participants,” Bolduc explains. “We had to make sure of this when it was set up for our Green Marine Europe participants.”
Five maritime enterprises are involved in the pilot projects launched in July.
They include one port, one port authority, and a ferry operator in Australia, a shipyard in the Bahamas, and Mexico’s principal container terminal. “The pilot projects give them an opportunity to test the program without charge to see for themselves the kind of resources and time it involves,” Bolduc relates. “At the same time, it gives us the detailed feedback we need to determine what adjustments may be required.”
Green Marine has had an Australian presence for almost a decade. Canadian-based CSL Group has certified its CSL Australia Ltd. vessels since 2015. “Having this connection made Australia a logical place to determine the interest in the program’s potential expansion,” Bolduc shares. “I talked about Green Marine at the Interferry Conference in Hobart in early November 2023, and then while visiting ports and maritime companies in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, and found significant interest.”
The Port of Brisbane and the Port Authority of New South Wales are each taking part in the pilot projects. Christa Sams, the Port Authority of New South Whales senior manager, Environment, says taking part in the project has permitted the port to begin assessing itself with global best practices and identifying potential areas to improve the sustainability outcomes of its operations.
“Throughout the pilot, we were able to recognize not only our strengths in this space, but where we can grow and improve to continue our position as an industry leader in sustainability in Australia,” she adds.
We have already identified opportunities, including exploring further community outreach strategies and waste diversion and reduction.
Also in Australia, the NRMA (National Roads and Motorists’ Association) has been taking part for its ferry services. Nigel Ellsmore, NRMA’s chief operating officer – Marine, says the company is looking forward to starting its journey with Green Marine as it seeks an accreditation that recognizes its strong focus on environmental sustainability.
“We were keen to find a reputable and independent accreditation that is backed by a rigorous methodology,” he says. “A certification with Green Marine will drive improvement and commitment to environmental sustainability practices across the Manly Fast Ferry operations.”
SSA Marine México at the Port of Manzanillo and the Grand Bahamas Shipyard each contacted Green Marine expressing interest in participating in the Green Marine program. “We embraced this as an opportunity to see whether there were any challenges to introducing each of them into the program,” Bolduc says.
Ana María Camacho Carranza, the director of Government Relations and Public Affairs for SSA Marine México, says that ultimately implementing the certification process at the specialized container terminal will serve as great motivation.
By standardizing the continuous improvement approach at this main operation in Mexico, we will raise compliance to even higher levels than those established by current regulations.
SSA Marine is already familiar with the North American Green Marine criteria since they certify 21 terminals in the United States.
If no significant changes are required, Green Marine’s board of directors might vote to open the certification process to Australia, Mexico, and the Bahamas in 2025.
Green Marine program manager Brittney Blokker has been working closely with the ports and the ferry operator in Australia, as well as the Grand Bahama shipyard. She has appreciated learning about other regulatory landscapes.
Australia, for example, has been a world leader when it comes to preventing the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS).
This might necessitate changes to an Australian performance indicator for AIS, and potentially lift this bar for all Green Marine participants in future.
“What strikes me the most is how proactive all the maritime enterprises involved in these projects want to be in their environmental pursuits, which is very much like our existing participants,” Blokker notes. “They’re seeking to differentiate themselves in their markets with our guidance and resources, which is really in keeping with the Green Marine ethos.”
Green Marine is also using this juncture to extend the program on a trial basis to some European ports.
It’s always been our intention to extend the Green Marine Europe program that is currently open to shipping lines and shipyards to include ports and terminals, but we also know that there’s more work to be done in terms of the program’s adaptation to the already more stringent regulations in place at the ports within the European Union.
The results of the pilot projects’ initial phase are expected to be completed by year-end. “It’s important to look at language because a lot of buzzwords have developed in relation to environmental sustainability, and some are used interchangeably with others or differently altogether in some regions,” Blokker says. “We really want to make sure that we’re all on the same page when talking about environmental regulations and measurable improvements.”
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