Green Marine welcomes its first marine pilotage association as a participant

Seattle, Washington, March 13, 2018 – Puget Sound Pilots Association is the first organization of marine pilots to join the Green Marine environmental certification program as a participant. They were already partners but wanted to increase their environmental efforts by stepping up their Green Marine membership to certify their vessels.

While partners offer products and services to help the marine industry to lower its environmental footprint, participants commit to benchmarking and continually improving their environmental performance under the Green Marine certification process.

“Green Marine’s goal of continuous improvement is fully aligned with ours,” stated Linda Styrk, Puget Sound Pilots’ executive director. “Our mission as pilots is safety, and that includes protection of the marine environment, waterways, ports and harbours, which creates a keen awareness of the need to mitigate and reduce environmental impacts.”

Styrk is thoroughly familiar with the environmental certification program as she previously sat on Green Marine’s board of directors in her former role as the managing director of Port of Seattle’s seaport. As seaport managing director, Ms. Styrk was the catalyst for Port of Seattle becoming the first U.S. port outside the Great Lakes region to attain Green Marine certification.

David Bolduc, Green Marine’s executive director, is delighted with Puget Sound Pilots’ decision. “We’re very pleased that this valued partner has decided to get even more involved in Green Marine by becoming a participant,” he said.

“We’ve made several changes to our program over the past few years to permit smaller vessels to be certified,” Bolduc added. “These improvements have led to welcoming harbour craft as participants.”

Bolduc hopes Puget Sound Pilots’ move will inspire other pilotage associations to join as participants. “We are currently in discussions with other pilotage authorities that have expressed keen interest,” Bolduc said. “I think it makes sense for them to participate even though they operate smaller vessels because pilots fill such a crucial role as an essential link with major shipping lines.”

The president of Puget Sound Pilots, Captain Eric vonBrandenfels, wholeheartedly agreed: “Pilots guide vessels in and out of harbours and waterways using their expert shiphandling skills and local knowledge of tides, currents, and environmental conditions. We believe Green Marine certification will enhance our ability to reduce environmental impacts and to protect the marine environment while providing safe and efficient pilotage service for vessels.”

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