The Port of San Diego is celebrating its continued leadership in environmental stewardship after achieving recertification by Green Marine, North America’s leading environmental certification program for the maritime industry. This marks the Port’s fifth consecutive year of Green Marine certification.
The Port underwent a rigorous evaluation of its environmental initiatives across various aspects, including greenhouse gas reduction, air quality control, community engagement and waste management. The Green Marine ranking system assigns a score from 1 to 5, with Level 1 reflecting basic compliance and Level 5 indicating environmental excellence.
The Port of San Diego excelled in this evaluation, achieving top marks (Level 5) in six out of seven categories. This impressive performance landed them in the top 10% of North American ports participating in Green Marine, with an average score of 4.5 out of 5 across all categories.
“This recertification is a testament to our unwavering commitment to protecting San Diego Bay and its surrounding communities,” said Chairman Frank Urtasun of the Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners. “Green Marine certification is a prestigious recognition of our environmental leadership, and we’re proud to contribute to a healthy and thriving San Diego Bay for all.”
This year’s Green Marine program witnessed a record number of participants, with over 220 reports submitted by ship owners, port authorities and other maritime industry stakeholders. The GreenTech 2024 conference, held earlier this month in Halifax, Nova Scotia, served as the platform for distributing certificates to the successful participants.
Green Marine’s certification process involves annual self-evaluations followed by bi-annual verification by independent auditors. These verifications include interviews, on-site inspections and document reviews to ensure the accuracy of reported scores.
Beyond the Port’s own achievements, 2023 saw a positive development with SSA Marine adding their San Diego terminal to the Green Marine program. This marks the first instance of a Port of San Diego tenant participating in the initiative.
The year also saw significant progress in decarbonization efforts. Two-thirds of Green Marine participants achieved Level 3 or higher in the Green House Gas performance indicator, demonstrating a growing commitment to reducing emissions within the industry. Shipyards continued their impressive participation growth, showcasing the industry’s focus on sustainable practices.
Green Marine also reported a 65% net increase in combined scores for Community Relations and Community Impacts indicators, highlighting a growing emphasis on positive engagement with areas surrounding ports. This trend signifies a broader industry-wide commitment to responsible co-existence with local communities.
For more information, please visit https://www.portofsandiego.org/.
