An independent, non-profit and totally neutral certifying organization
S4S: What is Green award and the Green award foundation about?
JF : Green award is just another certifying organization. We are not a Recognized Organization like classification societies. We’re totally independent, non-profit and totally neutral. We verify ships and shipping companies on the main pillars of quality, safety and environment. What makes the Green Award special is that we have a network of stakeholders, partners to our program. There are mainly ports but also marine service providers and these people like to motivate together with us the shipping industry to make a step ahead. They like to identify with us who are the frontrunners in the industry. Green Award is about continuous improvement and it is a voluntary system. Green Award is out there to improve quality of shipping, stimulate quality improvement and improve the environmental awareness. We also want to reduce the risk and ban substandard shipping. It sounds very idealistic but this is what we want to do.
S4S: How does this system works and what is the role of the stakeholders?
JF : Stakeholders are providing incentive. The majority of those incentive providers are ports. We also have banks, pilot organizations and other marine service providers. Rightship is also having a link with us. You get extra points in their vetting scheme. So we have our own program based on IMO regulations and industry best practices and that’s what we audit and certify. We audit offices or we conduct audits on board ships. We update our requirements on a regular basis. Last September, we issued our new requirements and of course you can guess what will be the hot topic, air emissions. But it’s not only about air emissions. There also crewing issues and maintenance issues. Three main pillars are the base for our certification: quality, safety and environment. We think that quality and safety will lead to protection of the environment. You cannot do without that, they are all interrelated.
S4S: What are the advantages for the stakeholders and what are for the ships?
JF : Increase of quality ships, reduced risk, a tool to address corporate social responsibility and air quality issues, increase of efficiency and maybe a shorter visiting period of the ship to port are some of the advantages for the stakeholders. Ports have a pivotal role in the program. They can motivate things. Regarding the advantages for the ship, these are possibly charter preference, continuous improvement, another eye looking to your system or lower insurance premiums. Most important is motivation and pride of the crew. For us the crew is essential in the whole system.
S4S: What are your plans for the future?
JF : We are planning to have a branch office in the Middle East and that means lower inspection costs and a better coverage of inspections as well as a better marketing which also might mean more ports joining this program. Also, we are working in the creation of a branch office in Asia, thus coming close to a worldwide network of partners. Finally, I would like to say that green credentials of ship or shipping company will become very important in competition in the -not so far- future.
Jan Fransen is Managing Director of Green Award Foundation
Above interview is adapted from Jan’s presentation at 2nd Safety4Sea Forum.
You can view Jan’s presentation video during 2nd Safety4Sea Forum