Rotterdam: The Green Award Foundation, a not-for-profit quality assurance organisation, yesterday announced that it has signed an incentive agreement with Ecoslops, the first company to develop a technology that sustainably produces marine fuels from refined marine oil residues or slops. The development will see Ecoslops provide a 25% discount to all Green Award certified ships, reducing the costs of slops disposal for ship owners, and ensuring their sustainable regeneration into valuable marine fuels.
The incentive runs from the 28 April 2016, and is applicable for all hydrocarbon waste (i.e. bilge waters, sludge and slops) delivered to Ecoslops by Green Award certified vessels. This waste is classified under LER code 16 07 08 and directly related to Ecoslops’ principle activity of transforming marine hydrocarbon waste into marine fuels through its micro-refining technology.
A Green Award certificate supports shipowners and shipmanagement companies to differentiate themselves by demonstrating their strengths and high standards, which go beyond statutory obligations. Green Award independently audits and certifies ships in accordance with its own requirements regarding safety, quality and the environment. Ports, maritime service providers and ship owners and managers join the Green Award scheme to reduce risks of incidents, support economically–sound and high quality shipping, and to increase their social and environmental sustainability profile, improving their competitiveness in the eyes of their customers.
The number of Green Award incentive providers has significantly increased since the beginning of 2016: seven new incentive providers for Green Award certified sea-going ships have joined the scheme since January, while two ports have granted incentives to inland navigation barges.
Jan Fransen, executive director of the Green Award Foundation, tells Maritime CEO: “There is a significant interest from the industry, and the number of new applications is increasing. Green Award currently unites over 70 incentive providers – ports and companies – and has in total over 800 inland and seagoing ships certified.”
The Green Award Foundation is a neutral, independent foundation, established 1994 on the initiative of the Rotterdam Municipal Port Management and the Dutch Ministry of Transport. Since 1 January 2000 Green Award is completely independent.
“We have experienced a strong growth in the oil, product, LNG and LPG sector,” says Fransen. “Especially in this bad market shipping companies want to differentiate themselves to get competitive advantage. Green Award is seen as an efficient tool for that.”
