Port of Prince Rupert Recognized for Sustainable Performance

FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2012 | VIEW AS PDF

PRINCE RUPERT, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- The Port of Prince Rupert celebrated a significant milestone this week as it received an enhanced rating by Green Marine, North America's leading marine environmental stewardship organization. The Port Authority's President and CEO was also invited to take a leadership role on the Green Marine board of directors as Vice-Chair of the international organization.

"This recognition by Green Marine is an important acknowledgement of the value the Port Authority places on environmental stewardship," said Gary Paulson, Vice President of Operations and Harbour Master for the Prince Rupert Port Authority. "Since becoming Canada's first west coast port to join Green Marine in 2010, we have made our commitment to environmental leadership a key priority. We are working to ensure that existing terminals and future developments demonstrate ecological sensitivity and sustainability."

Prince Rupert Port Authority President and CEO Don Krusel addressed Green Marine's fifth annual GreenTech Conference on Tuesday, speaking about the importance of ensuring that the port's operations are characterized by sustainability and responsibility.

"We are keenly aware that while our activities benefit communities significantly, we also have a considerable impact because of traffic and industrial activity," said Krusel. "The support of our communities for the Port's development is one of our most important strategic assets. The support of Prince Rupert's citizens makes us unique compared to many other ports, and we want to maintain and enhance that relationship of trust."

During the Quebec City conference, Krusel was invited to sit on Green Marine's Board of Directors, an offer he readily accepted.

"I am proud that the Port of Prince Rupert will play an important role in defining high environmental standards for North America's marine sector," Krusel said.

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BACKGROUNDER

At Green Marine's GreenTech 2012 conference, held May 29-30, marine industry representatives from across the continent gathered to share information and learn how organizations can increase their overall environmental performance.

Green Marine released its annual Progress Report during the conference, which evaluates the environmental performance of North America's marine industry, including shipowners, shipyards, terminals and ports.

The Prince Rupert Port Authority's performance in the area of Greenhouse Gases climbed from a Level 2 rating (systemic use of a defined number of best practices) to a Level 3 rating, indicating an integration of best practices into an adopted management plan and quantifiable understanding of environmental impact.

Green Marine is a voluntary initiative that requires participants to undergo rigorous external audits every two years by third party Lloyds Registry Quality Assurance, the results of which are used to rank participants in areas such as air emissions and environmental leadership. The program now includes 161 members, and under Green Marine overall environmental performance in Canada and the U.S. has improved for the third year in a row.

Learn more about Green Marine at http://www.green-marine.org.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Michael Gurney
Manager, Corporate Communications
Prince Rupert Port Authority
Direct: 250 627-2509
Email: mgurney@rupertport.com