Liberia is first ship registry to recognise Green Award ships

Liberia has become the first flag state to participate in the Green Award programme, under which eligible shipowners will be offered significant annual tonnage tax discounts.

Scott Bergeron, CEO of the Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry (LISCR), the US-based manager of the Liberian Registry, says, “This initiative provides further confirmation of the pioneering role adopted by Liberia in all areas of global shipping, and underlines its commitment to environmental compliance by striving to ensure that Liberia remains the greenest fleet afloat.”

Green Award is a global, independent, not-for-profit quality assurance organisation which certifies ship managers and vessels that go beyond industry standards in terms of safety, quality and environmental performance. The scheme brings together ship managers who are willing to improve the safety and environmental performance of their vessels, and ports or private companies in the maritime sector which are willing to support vessels that go beyond international conventions and legislation in terms of ship lay-out and equipment, quality of operations and management.

Green Award-certified ships will be recognised and rewarded by the Liberian Registry for their efforts to minimise emissions and risks of incidents and accidents, while ensuring the best care for people and the environment. The Registry will offer a 3% tonnage tax discount annually to all Liberian-flag vessels that are certified. The discount will apply continually as long as the vessel remains in the Green Award programme.

An official ceremony marking the Liberian Registry / Green Award initiative took place on 8 June, 2016, at the Posidonia event in Athens, Greece, during which the Liberian Registry’s CEO, Scott Bergeron, and Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Registry’s Piraeus Office, Dr. Michalis Pantazopoulos, accepted a Green Award commemoration to seal the co-operative agreement.

Scott Bergeron said, “The Liberian Registry is committed to helping ship owners and operators improve their green credentials and meet other corporate social responsibilities, and we believe that the Green Award scheme will help achieve those objectives.”

Green Award Chairman Captain Dimitrios Mattheou and Executive Director Jan Fransen welcomed the Liberian Registry to the network of Green Award members. Mr Mattheou said, “Recognition by the Liberian Flag Administration of the Green Award certificate as a reliable quality mark is of great significance to us. Green Award certificate holders and Green Award ships will be motivated to improve their performance still further, resulting in improved safety, higher quality and greater environmental awareness.”