It was awarded ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 Certifications
Shri G. K. Vasan, Union Minister of Shipping awarded ISO certification to Jawaharlal Nehru Port at a function in Mumbai today. The following is the full text of his speech:
“I am happy to be in your midst at this function for the award of ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 Certifications to the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust by the Indian Register for Quality Systems (IRQS). With the addition of these certifications, JNPT has achieved the distinction of becoming the first major port to achieve the three certifications from the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and an Occupational Health and Safety Management System certification, in keeping with its status of a world class port. I extend my hearty congratulations to the management and staff of JNPT for this unique achievement.
The major ports play a key role in facilitating external trade which contributes to 40% of India’s GDP. Container volumes in India are expected to witness very high growth in the years to come. We also expect that in future, high demand for energy will result in increased import of coal and oil. For our ports to gear up for the growing demand, we must bear in mind that the growth is not just quantitative, but qualitative in terms of services which depends on human capital development, information, management and environment protection.
JNPT has already addressed the information security aspect by developing its own Information Security Management System certified complying with norms of the ISO a year ago and is conforming to the Quality Management Systems since 2001.
As we achieve higher economic growth and use modern technology, we often tend to ignore the human factor which is responsible for managing the new technology and fuelling the growth. I am very pleased that JNPT has addressed this core issue by adopting the Occupational Health and Safety Management System which identifies the hazards and risks arising out of routine and non-routine tasks to human life and takes effective measures to at least reduce them substantially.
Maintaining high standards of occupational health and safety is important not only for employees, but also for customers and other stakeholders. The OHSAS 18001 certification demonstrates the commitment of JNPT to occupational health and safety, and continuous improvement of their related management systems.
JN Port’s conformance to OHSAS 18001 safeguards that its employees, clients and all parties in question are exposed to as few risks as possible, while third-party certification authenticates that an organization has taken steps to avoid accidents and hazardous situations using a comprehensive and effectively implemented system. This would assure the compliance with present legal requisites and reduces the risk of various penalties & possible litigation.
Our country is endowed with a rich natural bounty of flora and fauna. India is one of the twelve countries where more than two-thirds of the world’s biodiversity exists. India has rich traditional knowledge and wisdom as well as respect for the conservation of nature and natural resources through religious beliefs, culture and folklore. Conservation and protection of the environment and love for nature have always been an integral part of the Indian ethos and culture.
Independent India has travelled on the path of progress and industrialization at a fast pace. Though the process of development has given us a better quality of life, we realize that development without care for our natural eco-systems will pose threats to the very existence of life itself. The air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat must be protected from pollution. Development and environment should go hand in hand. Sustainable development is the new paradigm.
The UPA Government, under the dynamic leadership of Dr. Manmohan Singh and able guidance of Shrimati Sonia Gandhi, has taken a lot of initiatives in the maritime sector for prevention of harm to the environment.
India is a party to the International Convention on Safety of Life (SOLAS) and International Convention on Marine Pollution (MARPOL) which are the main safety and pollution related conventions of the IMO. In the last two years the Cabinet has approved accession to three conventions, namely, Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks, Protocol of 1996 to the Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims and MARPOL Convention Regulations for the Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships. We are in the process of acceding to other important conventions like the Bunker Convention and Oil Pollution Response Convention (OPRC) and Oil Pollution Response Convention-Hazardous and Noxious Substances (OPRC-HNS) and I am confident that the process will be completed soon.
I am delighted that JNPT has obtained ISO 14001 certification by identifying the importance of sustainable development and has demonstrated its commitment to social and environmental responsibility by developing an Environment Management System beyond legal requirements, promoting maritime trade with pollution control, reducing waste and creating environmental awareness in the Port community. I am informed that the port has already replaced its streetlights and other electrical appliances with energy efficient devices like CFL lamps, solar heaters etc. The port is keenly working on projects like wind-based and solar energy farms for meeting its energy requirements. Rain water harvesting and vermi-composting have also been taken up.
All the major ports under the Ministry of Shipping are ISO 9001 certified signifying establishment of Quality Management Systems and about half of them have earned ISO 14001 certification by developing environmental management systems. Today JNPT is the first Major Port to have achieved the four certifications, namely, ISO 9001 / 14001 / 27001 and OHSAS 18001. While I compliment the management of JNPT for taking the lead in achieving this feat, I also urge the other ports to develop systems conforming to international standards in respect of information security, environmental management and occupational health and safety.
Besides earning certifications, JNPT has been contributing handsomely to the economic prosperity of the country. The container traffic handled by the Port accounts for 56.66% of the total container handling of 7.54 million TEUs by all the major ports in the country in 2010-11. The Port is about to sign an MOU with PSA for development of Phase I of the Fourth Container Terminal at a cost of Rs. 4,100 crore. Upon completion, the terminal is expected to handle 2.4 million TEUs. A project to deepen and widen the channel of the Jawaharlal Nehru Port and Mumbai Port is also being taken up at a cost of more than Rs. 1,500 crore which will provide the channel a length of 34 kilometres and width of 370 metres.
I again extend my heartiest congratulations on my behalf and on behalf of the Ministry of Shipping to the Chairman, Board of Trustees, officers and staff of the Port and its customers on this happy occasion. I also extend my best wishes the officers and staff of JNPT for success in all their endeavours towards achieving excellence.”
Source: Press Information Bureau, Government of India
