Bureau Veritas - VeriFuel joins Green Award

Bureau Veritas’ fuel monitoring program, VeriFuel, has become a Green Award incentive provider, taking the total number of new Green Award incentive providers that joined in 2016 to 15. Cooperation, meant to further encourage the best practices of the shipping industry and mitigate its environmental impact, was officially announced at a cocktail reception held in Athens by the Bureau Veritas.

An official commencement ceremony took place during the reception on the 1^st of July, 2016. Mr. Dimitrios Mattheou, Chairman of the Green Award Foundation and Mr. Jan Fransen, Executive Director of the Green Award Foundation, welcomed Bureau Veritas - VeriFuel to the Green Award scheme and handed over a symbolic Green Award plaque. 

The Green Award Foundation is a recognized quality mark for sea-going and inland navigation ships. It audits and certifies vessels with performance above that required by the statutory regulations. VeriFuel is Bureau Veritas' comprehensive Fuel Monitoring Program designed for the marine industry.

 “Fuel-related problems and emissions are an issue taken very seriously by the shipping industry. Green Award considers it as one of its priorities to tackle pollution and promote the use of low sulfur fuel. Exact data on fuel characteristics enables efficient steaming.  VeriFuel’s role in addressing this issue is crucial,” said Green Award’s Chairman Mr. Mattheou. “We welcome Bureau Veritas’ decision to join the Green Award scheme with its VeriFuel program.”

Green Award certified ships will receive a 5% discount on fuel quality testing and on bunker surveys, and a 15% discount in all fuel related training courses.

The Green Award scheme brings together ports and maritime service providers that want to encourage safer, cleaner and greener shipping and ships that strive for excellence. Incentive Providers from all over the maritime sector support certificate holders by offering them various benefits, making Green Award a platform for cross-sectoral Corporate Social Responsibility.

In the last months Green Award has been undergoing a rapid period of growth. The scheme has welcomed many new incentive providers including ports and maritime service companies that provide discounts on mooring equipment, ICT solutions, waste delivery, training courses, ISO audits and other services and products. The first ship registry has joined. Green Award has also expanded to USA by entering a partnership with the first incentive provider in USA, a qualified individual. Furthermore, Green Award has launched an LPG certification program and was recognized as a quality mark for the impact loan by the European Investment Bank and Rabobank. Thanks to Green Award incentive providers, benefits that can be potentially received by certificate holders by far exceed certification costs. Green Award makes green, safe and sustainable shipping economically sound.About Green Award

The Green Award foundation was established in 1994. Green Award is a global, independent, non-for-profit quality assurance organization that works by certifying ship managers and vessels that go beyond the industry standards in terms of safety, quality and environmental performance. The scheme is open for sea-going oil and chemical tankers, bulk carriers, LNG and LPG carriers, container carriers and inland navigation barges.

The essential of Green Award is that it covers a wide range of aspects related to safety quality and the environment. Green Award brings together high quality ships, maritime service providers and ports that want to improve safety, attract quality ships and reduce environmental and safety risks. In fact Green Award acts as the platform for the industry cooperation. Green Award incentive providers (ports and maritime service providers) award ships the highest safety and quality standards of which are confirmed by the Green Award certificate with various benefits such as discounts on the port dues, products and services.

With over 75 incentive providers in North America, Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia currently participating in the scheme, Green Award motivates ship owners and managers to invest in the improvements on board and ashore and serves as a reliable indicator of the ship’s highest standards and as a Corporate Social Responsibility and risk reduction tool for shipping companies and ports.