Nijmegen Rewards Clean Inland Vessels
From the 1st of January, 2016, Green Award certified inland barges receive a 15% discount on the harbor dues in Nijmegen.
Ships holding a Green Award certificate are cleaner, produce less noise and have higher fuel efficiency. With this action the largest inland port of the Netherlands stimulates further development of sustainable shipping. The Port of Nijmegen is now a participant of the Green Award scheme – an international certification scheme that already unites 16 inland ports and 573 inland ships.
Green Award was established in 1994 to motivate for quality and safety improvement in the sea-shipping sector. In 2011 a certification program for inland navigation vessels was launched. Green Award certifies sea-going ships and ship managers and inland navigation vessels that go beyond the industry standards in terms of safety, quality and environmental performance. Only vessels that go beyond legally required industry standards can obtain the Green Award certificate. Amongst the scheme’s participants not only ports and municipalities, but also 9 other organizations including 5 banks that offer incentives to ships holding the Green Award certificate.
Alderwoman Mrs. H. Tiemens is convinced that it is a matter of great importance to reward sustainable ships. “As the largest Dutch inland port on the busiest river of the Netherlands, we see encouragement of clean ships as very important. If by providing a discount on harbor dues our municipality can contribute to the “greening” of a part of that 165,000 ships that pass along or moor each year, it will benefit national goals of sustainability and the air quality improvement as well as the goals of Nijmegen. The Green Award scheme is a great tool to stimulate such improvement.”
“Investments in environmentally-friendly ships pay off,” says Jan Fransen, Executive Director of the Green Award Foundation. “”Green” behavior in the inland shipping sector gets better and better recognition by all parties involved. We hope that this corporate socially responsible approach will develop further and even more ships, ports and other parties will join Green Award.”
On the 25th of January Mrs. Tiemens received a Green Award board on behalf of Municipality of Nijmegen. This handover cements the decision of Nijmegen to reward sustainable inland ships certified by Green Award.