The following is the text of a news release from the Chamber of Shipping of America (CSA):
(WASHINGTON) — At a dinner ceremony in the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 2, the Chamber of Shipping of America awarded Certificates of Environmental Achievement to 1,760 ships owned by 65 companies with a total of 14,308 years of environmental excellence.
The average number of years operating without incident for ships and vessels that received awards is 8.1 years. Two hundred and eighty three of the vessels have logged 16 or more years of environmental excellence. U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Joseph Servidio participated in the award ceremony and congratulated the award recipients and the industry as a whole for their extraordinary performance.
Kathy J. Metcalf, president of the CSA, said, “These awards celebrate the dedication to environmental excellence of our seafarers and the company personnel shore-side who operate our vessels to the highest standards. In today’s world, it seems our industry only gets front-page news when spills or other environmental problems occur. It is encouraging to see how many vessels go for years achieving environmental excellence. It should be clear to the American public that we in the maritime industry take our stewardship of the marine environment very seriously.”
The awards are open to all owners and operators of vessels that operate on oceans or inland waterways. The CSA board encourages all operators and owners to take advantage of this opportunity to recognize their crew and shore-side operating personnel and encourages all operators and owners to consider participating in next year’s program. Participation guidance is found on CSA’s website www.knowships.org.
Click here for a list of vessels that received the 2016 Environmental Achievement Award.
