he initiative for Green Award certification is always with the ship owner or manager. He submits the application to the Bureau Green Award and pays the costs. First the Bureau reviews the documents, which are presented by the ship owner/manager. Then an audit at the ship owner/managers' office is carried out, the audit will be repeated every three years. This audit establishes conformity between management procedures and management practice, as well as conformity of management procedures with Green Award requirements. The owner/manager will receive a Green Award Office Certificate.

Finally a survey of the vessel takes place, in order to determine if the procedures in relation to safety and environment are well implemented. After these three steps of the certification procedure a rating will be made, based on the different parts of the survey report. If the total score of the rating in combination with the observed conformities is sufficient, the Bureau Green Award will grant a Green Award certificate. The Certificate stays valid for three years, during which period annual checks will be carried out. After three years a renewal of the ships certificate is obliged. If the requirements are upgraded during the period of certification, the new rules will apply for the participating owner/manager within a period of 12 months grace.

   Which requirements for vessels, crews and procedures?
Green Award requirements are applied on three levels:

A. Compliance with (inter)national legislation.

B. Specific requirements for crew and management.

C. Requirements of the technical equipment of the vessels.

	Download Green Award Requirements 2008 (valid from 01-04-2008)