SPEECH on the occasion of 10 year Green Award

Mr. J.L. de Goeij
Managing Director Green Award

Mr. Secretary General, Your Excellency, Mr. Chairman, Head of the Netherlands Delegation, Ladies and Gentlemen,

As Managing Director of the Green Award Foundation and Head of Bureau Green Award, I would like to thank Mr. Secretary General, Admiral Mitropoulos to offer us the opportunity to celebrate our 10 years Anniversary at IMO Headquarters.

I also would like to thank the Head of the MEPC delegation of The Netherlands Government to share the reception that is given on this occasion.

Green Award is now almost five years independent from its founding fathers, we have however no objection at all, not only to share the reception but also to share the costs.

Admiral Mitropoulos, on behalf of the Committee and the Board of Experts of which some members are also present, and the total Bureau Green Award, I would like to thank you for the listing of characteristics of the Green Award philosophy. This proofs the big support we have received from IMO from the very beginning of Green Award, now, and in the future.

The support given to Green Award by maritime authorities is now growing fast. In our Committee and Boards we have representatives from both public and private members of the international shipping industry. Early this year we welcomed in the Board of Experts Mr. Sergey Kochshy from the Russian Register, Mr. Peter Mollema of the Port of Rotterdam and recently Capt. Michael Rand from the USCG joined.

We experience a growing acceptance of our work by Port State Control. This strengthens us in our aim to extend a network of quality control institutions in order to achieve fewer inspections for the already known quality operators. Thus creating more time for maritime authorities to focus on sub standard operators and their ships.

We at Green Award have the feeling that we passed the critical point of total acceptance by the stakeholders in the shipping world as independent quality control institute.
For a major part we have been able to pass this point thanks to your support as IMO and individual member states.

I sincerely would like to invite all participating MEPC member states to support Green Award to achieve a real global coverage.

For your convenience we brought copies of our Annual Report 2003 that is published today because of this occasion. We further have been so fortunate that Lloyd's List has published today a special issue due to our 10th Anniversary.

Thank you very much.

London, 11-10-2004