November 6, 2014 ‑ Port of New Orleans, a leader among U.S. intermodal ports and sixth largest cruises port in the U.S., has signed on as a participant in Green Marine, the largest voluntary environmental program for the maritime industry in North America. The announcement was made yesterday by Port President and CEO Gary LaGrange during the annual State of the Port Address.
Green Marine is a transparent and inclusive program that addresses key environmental issues throughout its eleven performance indicators including air emissions, community impacts and environmental leadership. The cornerstone of the Green Marine initiative is its far-reaching environmental program, which makes it possible for any shipping company, terminal operator or port to voluntarily reduce its environmental footprint. The environmental program has rapidly gained a reputation for challenging participant companies to go beyond regulatory compliance. There are currently over 85 ship owners, port authorities, terminals and shipyards from coast to coast, in Canada and the United States, participating in the program.
“The Port of New Orleans is the eighth U.S. port to join Green Marine and the third American port to become a new member within the past few months,” says David Bolduc, Green Marine’s executive director. “Their addition reflects the ability of our environmental program to offer tailor-made guidelines to ports of various size and geographic region with the common goal of improving their environmental performance through concrete, measurable actions.”
About the Port of New Orleans
The Port of New Orleans is a deep-draft multipurpose port at the center of the world’s busiest port system — Louisiana’s Lower Mississippi River. Connected to major inland markets and Canada via 14,500 miles of waterways, six class I railroads and the interstate highway system, the Port is the ideal gateway for steel, project cargo, containers, coffee, natural rubber, chemicals, agricultural products, manufactured goods, passenger cruises and more.