Crowley’s Newly Christened 650-3 is First Tank Barge to be Issued Green Passport Certification
(Jacksonville, Fla.; Aug. 29, 2007) – Crowley Maritime Corporation’s petroleum services group recently welcomed the first tank barge with Green Passport certification into its articulated tug-barge (ATB) fleet. The 650-3, which coupled with the Resolve is Crowley’s third of 10 new 185,000-barrel ATB tank vessels, is among the first vessels in the U.S. fleet to be issued the certification by Lloyd’s Register North America Inc.
In 2003, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) issued Guidelines on Ship Recycling to improve the standards of safety and reduce environmental pollution resulting from the scrapping of ships. The guidelines introduced the concept of the Green Passport, which is essentially an inventory of materials present in a ships structure, systems, and equipment that may be hazardous to health or the environment.
“We enrolled the barge 650-3 in the Green Passport program to demonstrate Crowley’s core value of safety; specifically, the company’s commitment to safeguarding the environment and recognizing potential hazards,” said Capt. Victor Goldberg, vice president of operations for Crowley Petroleum Services. “The Green Passport ensures that the vessel will carry a history of the materials that were used in its construction and subsequent operations throughout its working life.”
The Green Passport is a valuable tool for developing a hazard management strategy and assessing liability from shipbuilding to ship breaking. One of the biggest advantages of the Green Passport is improving safety in operations, by ensuring that the ships crew are aware of the potentially hazardous materials onboard and that proper attention is paid to hazard and safety management systems. The Green Passport is regularly updated and maintained and is eventually passed by the owner to the ship recycling yard at the end of the ships life, to enable the yard to formulate a safe and environmentally sound way of breaking the ship.
Lloyds Register is pleased to work with diligent shipowners to ensure their vessels remain safe for the environment and for human life, says Rick Ferraro, business development manager for Lloyds Register North America and account manager for Crowley. We applaud Crowley for its decision to obtain the Green Passport for the barge 650-3 and look forward to being part of its ongoing commitment to the safety of human life and good environmental stewardship. Through such actions, the company clearly demonstrates that protection and conservation of the environment are high priorities in managing its business.”
Jacksonville-based Crowley Maritime Corporation, founded in San Francisco in 1892, is a privately held family and employee-owned company that provides diversified transportation and logistics services in domestic and international markets by means of five operating lines of business: Liner Services; Logistics Services; Petroleum Services, Marine Services and Technical Services. Other services provided within these business lines include contract towing and transportation; ship assist and escort; energy support; salvage and emergency response; vessel management, and petroleum and chemical transportation, distribution and sales. Additional information about Crowley its subsidiaries and business units may be found on the Internet at www.crowley.com.
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