Matson Navigation Company has been awarded with the U.S. Coast Guard's 2006 Rear Admiral William M. Benkert
Marine Environmental Award for Excellence. The Benkert Award was created to recognize outstanding achievements in marine environmental protection that go beyond mere compliance with industrial and regulatory standards. Matson was the only containership operator recognized in the 2006 award process, which is conducted every two years. Other recipients of the 2006 award include Dow Chemical, British Petroleum, Marathon Petroleum and Todd Shipyard. The formal awards presentation will take place on June 26 in San Diego.
Matson has had a zero discharge policy since 1993 and is still the only container vessel company that has such a program. In 2003, Matson's S.S. Chief Gadao became the first U.S.-flag container vessel certified to the American Bureau of Shipping's Safety, Quality and Environmental Management (SQE) program. All of Matson's vessels now have the SQE certification, which requires a documented environmental management system focused on continuous improvement. In addition, our offices and terminals are certified to the ISO 14000 environmental management system standard.
The Benkert Award is named in honor of Rear Admiral William M. Benkert (1923 - 1989), a distinguished Coast Guard officer widely known for his leadership and vision in marine environmental protection. Matson received the bronze award in the large business vessel category.