Friend of the Sea Turns to BMT for Reefer Vessels Certification
BMT Surveys (BMT), a subsidiary of BMT Group, the international maritime design, engineering and risk management consultancy, has been engaged by Friend of the Sea to investigate whether specialized reefer vessels comply with the broad set of requirements to qualify for certification.
A nonprofit and nongovernmental organization (NGO), the primary goal of Friend of the Sea is protection and conservation of a sound, sustainable and eco-friendly marine habitat in the oceans of the world. To help deliver its mission, the NGO introduced a certification project, the Friend of the Sea eco-label, for companies that demonstrably operate sustainably and eco-friendly in the worldwide fishing sector including cargo vessels. A recent addition is the specialized reefer vessels transporting fish and fish products from the place where they come ashore to their final destination, anywhere in the world; this is where BMT Surveys expertise has been drawn on.
BMT undertakes the investigation in two stages: firstly, verifying the certificates and other relevant documents required for obtaining and maintaining the eco-label. Secondly, each ship is audited onsite every couple of years by BMT’s expert inspectors, to determine whether all the environmental and sustainability requirements are also met on board.