Port of Galveston joins Green Marine certification program

Galveston, Texas, Oct. 14, 2019 – The Port of Galveston is going green with a number of environmental initiatives, including membership in Green Marine, the leading voluntary environmental program for North America’s maritime industry.

“Joining Green Marine will help us identify and implement best practices, manage our environmental initiatives, measure our progress and strive for continuous improvement,” said Rodger E. Rees, port director and CEO. “Sharing new technologies and best practices with other Green Marine members is another benefit that we’ll tap into.”

Rees added that the port will look for opportunities to integrate new sustainability practices like solar power as it implements its new 20-year strategic master plan.  The port is seeking Green Marine certification as a standardized process to benchmark and measure progress in its environmental performance.

David Bolduc, Green Marine’s executive director, welcomed its newest member. “We’re pleased to welcome the Port of Galveston and applaud them on their plans to seek Green Marine certification to tangibly demonstrate their commitment to greener practices,” he said. “We hope this inspires other maritime stakeholders to look at what Green Marine has to offer with its step-by-step approach towards achieving greater sustainability.”

The Green Marine environmental certification program addresses key environmental issues through 12 performance indicators that include greenhouse gases, air emissions, spill prevention, waste management, environmental leadership, and community impacts – some applicable to shipping activities, others to landside operations. The certification process is rigorous and transparent with results independently verified every two years. Each company’s individual performance is made public annually. 

 About the Port of Galveston

Perfectly situated at the entrance to Galveston Bay and the Houston Ship Channel, Galveston Wharves has been a thriving maritime commercial center since 1825. Just 30 minutes from open seas, the 840-acre port has infrastructure and assets to serve growing cruise, cargo and commercial businesses. As the fourth busiest U.S. cruise port, it welcomed almost 1 million cruise passengers in 2018. One of the top 50 ports in the U.S and one of the busiest in Texas, the port moved 4 million tons of cargo in 2018 and has an estimated annual state economic impact of $2.3 billion.

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