PRPA Scores Top Marks for Environmental Performance

EFFECTIVE NOVEMBER 24, 2020

PRINCE RUPERT, BRITISH COLUMBIA – Green Marine has determined that the Prince Rupert Port Authority (PRPA) is once again one of the highest environmental performers in North America, significantly exceeding jurisdictional regulations and further establishing its reputation as a global leader in environmental stewardship.

Green Marine is a voluntary environmental certification program for the North American marine industry that encourages participants to reduce their environmental footprint by taking concrete actions. The program is a rigorous, transparent, and inclusive initiative that addresses key environmental issues through targeted performance indicators. All results are verified and published every two years by accredited external auditors to achieve Green Marine certification.

PRPA’s performance report achieved the highest level in environmental criteria related to community impacts, spill prevention, aquatic invasive species, waste management, and environmental leadership. It also featured above average results related to greenhouse gases and underwater noise. PRPA’s average score was 4.5/5 in these categories, compared to the North American port average of 2.83/5.

The report made particular mention of PRPA programs such as Green Wave (which provides financial incentives to marine carriers to reduce air emissions and underwater noise), annual GHG and air emission inventories and forecasts, the Community Investment Fund (that dedicates a portion of PRPA’s net income to legacy community projects, including salmon enhancement), and its proactive collaboration with all port users to understand the environmental conditions of the air, water and land that surrounds Prince Rupert Harbour.

Notwithstanding its success to date, PRPA is committed to continually improving its performance in all areas of environmental stewardship. Recent activity to reintroduce shore power availability to container vessels and investigate new technology and feasibility of low emission trucks and equipment promise to further lower the port’s carbon footprint. Similarly, PRPA’s ongoing partnerships, initiatives, and research related to marine mammals and underwater noise will lead to improved management of the interaction between port activities and acoustic species. 

This year marks ten years of PRPA’s participation in Green Marine, a voluntary program aimed at advancing environmental excellence in the marine industry. The Port of Prince Rupert was the first West Coast port to join the Green Marine program, and has used the program as a benchmark to continually improve and measure its environmental performance.

“The Port of Prince Rupert was the catalyst that motivated the program’s expansion outside of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence region,” recalls David Bolduc, Executive Director, Green Marine. “It led to many participants joining from all coasts – Pacific North West, Gulf Coast, Atlantic – and this more diversified membership strengthened and added value to the program.” Bolduc added that PRPA has also played a very active role in supporting and expanding Green Marine’s objectives to reduce the environmental footprint of the marine industry, which has expanded to include 146 port members, terminals, and ship owners across the continent.

In addition to PRPA, local Port of Prince Rupert members also include DP World Prince Rupert, Ridley Terminals Inc., AltaGas’ Ridley Island Propane Export Terminal, Tidal Coast Terminal, Quickload Logistics, BC Ferries and the Alaska Marine Highway System. Along with the strong performance in the program, PRPA has provided industry leadership with roles on the Board of Directors, a founding and active member of the West Coast advisory committee and leading the development of the underwater noise performance indicator.

“The Prince Rupert Port Authority takes immense pride in demonstrating our commitment to environmental stewardship by going above and beyond our regulatory obligations to ensure our operations and practices are sustainable in the decades to come,” said Shaun Stevenson, President and CEO, Prince Rupert Port Authority. “We are grateful for the guidance and inspiration Green Marine has provided to our Port over the past ten years as we work together to mitigate the impacts of shipping on our environment.”

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ABOUT THE PRINCE RUPERT PORT AUTHORITY

The Prince Rupert Port Authority manages the Port of Prince Rupert, Canada’s northernmost trade gateway on the west coast. The Port of Prince Rupert anchors one of the fastest and most reliable supply chains between North America and Asia, providing vital infrastructure to support shippers and industries as they move their goods and resources to market. The port handles approximately $50 billion in trade value per year and supports an estimated 3,600 direct supply-chain jobs in northern BC, $481 million in annual wages, and $125.5 million in annual government revenue. In 2019, a record 29.9 million tonnes of cargo moved through the Port of Prince Rupert.

GREEN MARINE 2019 PERFORMANCE RESULTS

FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES CONTACT:
Monika Cote
Manager, Corporate Communications
Prince Rupert Port Authority
250-627-2550
mcote@rupertport.com