The Green Award Team wishes everybody a Merry Christmas and a safe, prosperous New Year.
Our special thoughts and wishes are for those seafarers who may be far from their own families this Christmas.

Green Award tankers less detained

A new analysis of port state detention figures shows that over the last five years 1,21% of all Green Award tankers subject to port state control inspections were detained. In contrast, the figure for tankers in general was 3,87%. This is the first concrete evidence that tankers certified by the Green Award Foundation outperform other tankers in complying with applicable safety and environmental protection regulations!

(See Article in Lloyd's List, Wednesday December 2003)

Tariffs 2004 equal to 2003

Following the latest Committee meeting, the management team of Green Award is pleased to
advise that for the year 2004, the Green Award Tariffs will not increase. This means, that the Tariffs 2003 are to be maintained.

This is the second time in the history of Green Award that we can afford not to increase the tariffs. We are glad to share this success of Green Award with our participants and are grateful to them for their efforts and confidence.

Annual Report 2002

All those who are involved with the Green Award Foundation can look back positively on the year 2002 with pride. The figures and developments show an upward trend on all fronts.

1. The Green Award Fleet grew from 10% to 11.3% of the relevant world tanker fleet
2. This fleet carried 20% of all seaborne oil
3. There was a net increase of 13% in the number of certified vessels
4. Two new incentive providers brought the total to 50 ports.
5. Two new shipping companies (from two new continents) resulted in a total of 30 companies certified by Green Award.

We are pleased that during a year in which the safety of oil tankers frequently came under the public spotlight, the assurance of quality within Green Award remained. As a result, we were able to work steadily on increasing the awareness of our system and on developing the requirements of our program further.

We see the growth of the number of ship owners, ships and incentive providers as recognition, which motivates and energises us to continue along the path mapped out for us in 1994.

We started the year 2002 with a balance of 150 certified vessels and ended the year with 170 vessels - a net increase of 13%. We issued 35 new certificates and withdrew 15. Unfortunately, we do not have certified bulk carriers yet, due to a lack of participating ports. Meanwhile, we can proudly confirm that on the date of issue of this report, three ports granted a premium for bulk carriers. For the most recent status of fleet and incentive providers, we kindly invite you to visit this website.

ISM Maritime Lead Auditors

The Green Award certificate is awarded to quality organisations.This means that our own quality is constantly tested and upgraded.

We are pleased to inform you that in the month of November 2003, in close co-operation with the Rotterdam based marine quality assessment department of Shell Europe Oil Products, 5 of our team members successfully passed the intensive course and are now qualified ISM Maritime Auditor / Lead Auditor. We are proud on the results achieved.

We would like to thank Royal Dutch Shell for offering Green Award the possibility to participate in their training that was finalised successfully for all 14 participants. The Green Award ISM Maritime Lead Auditors are: B. Metselaar (Survey manager), A.R. den Heijer (Surveyor), P.C. van Hattum (Surveyor), Liesl Driver (Research and Certification Officer) and Karin Struijk (Quality Manager).

The Green Award team felt very welcome and was happy to be able to share knowledge and skills with professionals from an oil major!

Renewed Office Certificate for TORM

Recently, the office of TORM in Copenhagen, Denmark, withstood the test of the Green Award audit and received the Green Award Office Certificate, which is valid for another 3 years.

Founded in 1889, TORM is one of the world’s most respected names in international shipping. The company is composed of tanker and bulk carrier divisions, with product tanker activity accounting for the majority of the business. TORM is responsible for the commercial operation of approximately 90 vessels, including some of the most modern and well-equipped ships afloat.

It is the policy of TORM (the Company) that all employees execute their work under safe and healthy conditions with the utmost concern for safety and health and protection of the environment. In this respect, it is a logical step for TORM to offer its system to be audited against the requirements. Torm operates several vessels that are certified by Green Award.

www.torm.dk

BP Shipping: why Green Award?

BP Shipping has been associated with Green Award since 1999, when we obtained certification of three vessels as one of several initiatives to focus our attention on environmentally sound operations. We also obtained ISO 14001 certification in 1999 and have found that Green Award provides an additional dimension to our own efforts in operating an Environmental Management System.

Although the geographical spread of our operations does not permit us to benefit substantially from the financial incentives which are part of the Green Award concept, we do obtain sufficient savings to offset a large part of the costs.

By the end of 2003 we will have 9 vessels with Green Award certification and although this is only a small proportion of our total fleet we are firm believers in the Green Award process and the operational and financial benefits which stem from it.

M. E. Thompson
Green Award Certification Co-ordinator
BP Shipping
www.bp.com

Articles, published in Lloyd's List

"Iran and NZ tanker firms join Green Award's elite
By Michael Grey
Tuesday December 02 2003

Tanker companies from Iran and New Zealand have joined the exclusive group of shipping companies and their ships that have qualified for the Green Award, and thus are able to gain valuable discounts at a range of contracting ports.

The National Iranian Tanker Co, which operates a mostly modern tanker fleet has qualified two of its 158,000 dwt vessels Iran Sarvestan and Iran Susangird for the award and New Zealand-based Silver Fern Shipping Ltd, which operates the 46,724 dwt Kakariki and the 33,374dwt Taiko, have joined the list of ships that have qualified for the award.

New ports that are now listed by the Green Award Foundation as offering discounts for qualified tankers are Klaipeda in Lithuania and Amsterdam. In addition to offering discounts for Green Award tankers, Amsterdam is also offering the same concessions for qualified bulk carriers.

The Green Award board of experts, which provides technical expertise on the suitability of the award criteria have, according to the annual report of the Green Award Foundation, been working on a methodology for applying the award to dry bulk carriers, although this class of ship has a higher loss ratio than tankers. Chairman of the board of experts Julian Parker notes that there has been major discussion on the quality of the Green Award standard. This, Mr Parker suggests, was necessary to "clarify in our own minds" the approach adopted by the award scheme as compared with other quality criteria such as the ISO Quality standards, ISM Code and ship vetting inspections. The group concluded that the Green Award should retain its "absolute" insistence that ship and company must obtain a pass mark to qualify.

Incentives for qualifying ships include discounts for the users of certain pilotage services, training courses and seminars and port services, in addition to premium rates for qualified ships in a growing number of ports" .

"Absolutely green
Established as an eminently respectable standard of quality, the Green Award Scheme continues to attract owners of the very best ships, who much appreciate a quality discount in their disbursements at a growing number of participating ports. The Green Award has also established its global credentials, with new participating owners from as far afield as Iran and New Zealand. New ports include that of Klaipeda and, of some considerable significance, the Port of Amsterdam.
The Green Award has been attacked on occasion for its "exclusiveness", it being fashionable to target any form of elitism these days. Why could it not be more "inclusive" and take in ships which clearly pass all sorts of demanding criteria from classification societies, charterers' vetting inspections, and never have any trouble from port state control?
The Board of Experts which has been appointed by the Green Award, for their part, have firmly set their face against any form of dilution. Green to them is an absolute, and does not permit any form of dilution to "greenish". There is a strict rating schedule, and a transparent marking process which can be seen against ship and company. Both must reach a certain "pass mark", like an old-fashioned examination, to qualify for this coveted award. There is also a Green Award standard for dry bulk carriers, so operators of this type of ship have something to aim at.
In the vastness of the world tanker fleet, a couple of hundred ships which are able to boast of a quality standard that is quite special ought to be an encouragement to all, even if most may not qualify."

Green Award Flag in New Zealand

Our certificate holder in New Zealand, Silver Fern Shipping, sent us this picture "of The Flag opposite entrance to Milford Sound in Fiordland, South Island, NZ fyi. We normally go east about to our South Island discharge ports, but nasty weather on that coast, so went down the west coast!! Safer!! Not much wind, and not much swells either as you can see".

Kazimah

Evita

Recently certified vessels

New certificates

• Astro Chorus / Kristen Navigation Inc.
• Iran Abadeh / National Iranian Tanker Co.
• Iran Amol / National Iranian Tanker Co.
• Iran Delvar / National Iranian Tanker Co.
• Iran Saveh / National Iranian Tanker Co.
• Kazimah / Kuwait Oil Tanker Co.
• Navion Fennia / IUM Shipmanagement AS
• Stena Confidence / Northern Marine Management Ltd.
  

• Navion Scotia / OSM Ship Management AS ( ex-Rasmussen Maritime Services AS )
• Evita / Ugland Marine Services AS
  

• Nordic Marita
• Futura