Green Award Certifies 500th Inland Barge
From left to right: Robert Baack (IMPERIAL Shipping Holding GmbH, COO) receives an official Green Award plaque from Jan Fransen (Green Award Foundation, Managing director)
From left to right: K.Struijk (Green Award Foundation), R. Baack (Imperial Shipping Holding GmbH), J. Fransen and C. Bayens-Bosman (Green Award Foundation)
Green Award for inland shipping said it achieved a milestone on February 17, 2014 when it handed over its 500th nr certificate.
Robert Baack, COO of IMPERIAL Shipping Holding GmbH, received the Green Award certificate nr 500 during a festive ceremony on board of the DB Haniel 14 in Duisburg (Germany). The certificate issued for inland barge the Imperial Gas 91 was handed over to him by Green Award’s managing director Jan Fransen.
It is not a coincidence that the 500th certified ship comes from Germany. Green Award receives more applications from German ships. Currently 37 inland navigation vessels sailing under German flag are certified by the Green Award Foundation, 22 out of this number are inland barges managed by Imperial Shipping Holding GmbH.
Green Award for the inland shipping comes from the Green Award scheme established in 1994 in order to promote quality shipping amongst sea-going vessels. All over the world Green Award certifies ships and ship managers that prove their dedication to high quality, safety and environmental standards. Advantages for ships holding the Green Award certificate include image improvement and various financial benefits.
Currently 15 ports in the Netherlands and Belgium provide discounts on the port dues to Green Award certified inland barges. There are also two major banks and an insurance company that compensate 50% of the certification costs to their clients participating in the Green Award program. As of today, the majority of participating ports are Dutch, but Green Award is committed to cooperate with Belgian, German and other European ports. Furthermore, the foundation hopes that more charterers will put their intentions with respect to Corporate Social Responsibility to practice by giving their preference to “green” ships.
greenaward.org
