Embracing Green Passports
Athens: Green Passports and inventories, which document all the hazardous materials on board a ship, are in the process of becoming established concepts in the maritime industry. Several shipowners, such as Stena and Concordia Maritime are now choosing to be at the forefront of future requirements. Their intention is to achieve safe operation and take the ship recycling perspective seriously, as regards both newbuildings and ships in operation.
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) is expected to introduce a mandatory regime relating to inventories, or lists of potentially hazardous materials on board, for all ships in the future. Such an inventory forms part of what is known as a Green Passport, which specifies the hazardous materials in the ship’s structure and equipment. Prior to being delivered to a recycling facility, an inventory of the stores and operationally generated waste and cargo residues is also to be added. An inventory study starts off by obtaining all the available documentation, following which a survey is carried out. Samples are taken and analysed in accredited laboratories. Based on these, a statement of compliance – a Green Passport – is issued describing what is found on board. Third P-MAX tanker delivered with a Green Passport Concordia Maritime recently took delivery of the Stena Primorsk, the third P-MAX tanker from the Brodosplit shipyard in Croatia. The vessel will be named by the Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden the coming Friday. All the P-MAX tankers built have a statement of compliance – a Green Passport – issued by DNV. With the Green Passports, which are voluntary, the company is acting proactively to comply with future mandatory regulations and ship recycling recommendations. Concordia Maritime states that the passports are the result of close cooperation with the yard and DNV. “For us, a Green Passport is logical as well as being completely in line with the MAX concept’s environmental and safety approach”, says Hans Norén, President of Concordia Maritime AB.