Foss Maritime has earned the ISO 14001 environmental certification to use as a blueprint to achieve its "zero trace" corporate goal. With its new certification, Foss' entire marine division, both shoreside and marine has publicly committed to sound environmental practices and continual improvement, bringing in outside auditors to certify their safety, quality and environmental (SQE) processes.
The SQE audit, which incorporates ISO 14001, was conducted by ABS (American Bureau of Shipping), an international classification society with headquarters in Houston, Texas. The ABS SQE certification program allows ship owners to demonstrate adherence to the highest levels of safety, quality and environmental standards.
The ISO 14001 Standard is an internationally accepted specification for environmental management systems created by the International Organization for Standardization to help organizations minimize how their operations affect the environment and comply with related laws, regulations and requirements.
Foss was certified for its environmental management system, which includes a number of programs with objectives that include:
• Reducing vessel emissions, fuel consumption and energy use.
• Updating procedures for hazardous waste disposal and reducing use of hazardous substances where possible.
• Minimizing the risk of spills and reducing frequency and quantity of spills.
• Reducing the volume and improving the quality of graywater released from vessels.
• Increasing recycling efforts in the regional offices and on the vessels.
Foss has already received safety and quality certifications from third party auditor ABS. This includes SQ certification, which incorporates ISO 9001 for its Quality Management System and ISM (International Safety Management) for its safety management system.The recent certification adds the E for the environmental component. Foss has also received certification from AWO (American Waterway Operators - Responsible Carrier Program) for meeting safety, quality and environmental standards. The ABS SQE and ISO 14001 certification follow on the heels of Foss winning the US Coast Guard Admiral Benkert Award gold medal for environmental excellence in 2008.
www.foss.com