Green Marine Europe membership more than doubles in 12 months
The decarbonisation and impact reduction programme now has 66 members and 31 participants in 10 European countries, including Belgium, France, Germany, and the UK.
Names signed up to the environmental measurement programme include Brittany Ferries, Compagnie Maritime Penn Ar Bed, CORSICA Linea, Hovertravel, Ifremer/Genavir, La Méridionale, L’Express des Îles, MSC Cruises Management, Navantia S.A., S.M.E, Orange Marine, Ponant, Socatra, Sogestran Shipping, Somara, SPM Ferries, and Stena Line.
‘This new governance constitutes a real turning point in the history of Green Marine, a certification program started in the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence region 17 years ago,’ said David Bolduc, President and CEO of Green Marine International.
Many organisations are considered ‘supporters’, such as research institutes, environment and government agencies, while ‘associations’ include the maritime industry and ‘partners’ cover all aspects of the sector’s supply chain. In total, there are now 31 full ‘participants’ in the scheme, like ship builders, owners and yards, double the number signed up 12 months ago.
Green Marine Europe [GME] aims to help participants more effectively understand, measure and mitigate their environmental impact. This year marks the test phase of an expansion to include ports in the programme, with the first facilities of this kind eligible for certification from 2026 onwards.
Based on the latest report, ship owners have made the most progress in issues relating to waste management, which has increased by a 8 Levels on the GME scale. Emissions reductions have also shown significant progress, with more than half of participants improving NOx SOx and PM output, and one-in-three participant ship owners now on course to meet a 2050 decarbonisation target.
‘I am very proud of the leadership of Surfrider Foundation Europe in establishing Green Marine Europe certification in collaboration with Green Marine and the European maritime industry over the last few years, said Florent Marcoux, Executive Director of Surfrider Foundation Europe, the organisation behind Green Marine Europe.
‘I am confident that [newly formed] Green Marine International [Green Marine Europe and Green Marine North America] will provide a governance framework that ensures GME’s two pillars – continuous improvement and stakeholder engagement – as the number of certified participants continues to increase,’ they continued.
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Image: Kasia Derenda