Squamish Terminals (SQT), a British Columbia deep-water, break-bulk terminal, is the latest to participant in the Green Marine initiative, the largest voluntary environmental program for the maritime industry.
SQT already exercise excellent environmental stewardship through their Squamish Statuary Management Committee and hosting of the annual Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. The company strives for continues improvement in their environmental performance by seeking ways to reduce the risks associated with all operations.
“In the past couple of decades SQT has played a key role in the preservation and enhancement of both Howe Sound marine life and of the estuary through its partnerships with local conservation groups,” said Ron Anderson, Squamish Terminals president & CEO “We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to work, live, play and volunteer in this truly wonderful [Green Marine] community.”
The Port of Seattle, a recent participant of the initiative, has now introduced a new truck program in an attempt to reduce emissions. The Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) program is in support of the port’s Clean Truck Initiative, which intends to monitor and regulate the emissions from port-related vehicles. By gathering the data on the frequency of truck trips and age of vehicles, the Port of Seattle and its community partners are able to plan more effectively to meet future environmental program goals.
So far the initiative has been successful, with over 2,000 truck gate moves a day with 2 percent of all port registered trucks reporting issues repaired in less than fifteen minutes.
The Green Marine program is an action plan that addresses nine major environmental issues identified by the marine industry.
There are currently twenty-one ports, twenty-six terminals, nineteen domestic ship owners and four international ship owners participating in the Green Marine Environment Initiative.
For more information about Green Marine and their services, see www.green-marine.org
Ben Oliver Briceno, Staff writer at Port Technology International.