Green Marine is the largest voluntary environmental certification program in North America. It provides a framework for the maritime industry to reduce its environmental footprint, backed up by independent verification of each participant’s results every two years.
GREEN MARINE CERTIFIED SINCE 2018
WHAT IS GREEN MARINE?
Guiding Principles
- Annual corporate leadership approval
- Minimized environmental impact in operations/activities
- Development and promotion of environmental protection measures
- Integration of sustainable practices
Green Marine Supporters – U.S., Canada, Europe
- Port authorities, ship owners and terminal operators
- Environmental groups and governments at the federal, state and municipal levels
- Education and conservation institutions
Stewardship
Our Commitment
The Alabama Port Authority is committed to integrating environmental sustainability principles and programs in its business decisions, port development and port operations. We are committed to minimizing impacts on the natural environment by aiming to exceed the minimum requirements set by applicable laws and regulations. Our goal is to continuously improve our practices and environmental stewardship initiatives pertaining to air quality, water quality, soil and sediment quality, wildlife habitat, waste management and energy consumption in order to protect and improve the environmental conditions in Mobile, the surrounding communities and the State of Alabama.
Exceeded or met requirements in all environmental indicators
- Spill prevention
- Greenhouse gases and air pollutants
- Dry bulk handling and storage
- Environmental leadership
- Community impact measures – lighting, noise, housekeeping
- Waste management
Specifically…..
- Electric ship-to-shore cranes (McDuffie Coal Terminal, Pinto Island Steel Terminal and the Container Terminal)
- Repowering locomotives to smart idle / EPA-certified off-road industrial engines to reduce particulate matter and nitrogen oxides from diesel emissions by more than 90%
- No-idle policy
- Recycling – metals, batteries, ink/toner cartridges, paper/cardboard, oils/lubes, rubber, lightbulbs, plastics, coal residues
- Dust control
- Twice-weekly near-shore and shoreline inspections; cleanup where releases could impact waterways
Upper Mobile Bay Wetlands Project
Planning is underway for the creation of 1,200 acres of wetlands in the Upper Mobile Bay through the beneficial use of dredged sediments. The project, known as the Upper Mobile Bay Beneficial Use Wetland Creation Site (Planning) Project, considers an area in the bay about 1.5 to 2.5 miles south of the causeway and I-10.
The $2.5 million planning project is funded by the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities and Revived Economies (RESTORE) of the Gulf States Act. It is a Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council-approved project and is sponsored and directed by the Alabama State Port Authority.
Each year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Alabama State Port Authority remove approximately six million cubic yards of sediment from Alabama’s Mobile Harbor federal navigation channel and adjacent public berths. Current practices place dredged materials in permitted open-water or upland management areas. These valuable sediments can be used to create wetlands and habitat. Currently, Mobile Bay Estuary Program (MBNEP) wetland mapping indicates there are 6,200 acres of wetlands (emergent marsh) in the Upper Mobile Bay/Lower Mobile-Tensaw Delta area. By constructing this project, sediments could remain in the Upper Mobile Bay system, increasing these important wetland habitats by 15%.
Upon completion of the planning phase at the end of 2021, the Port Authority anticipates requesting construction funds for the first 100 acres of wetlands from the RESTORE Council in 2022. It is anticipated that an additional 1,100 acres of wetlands will be created over the next 10-20 years. Additional information may be found at uppermobaywetlands.com.
MORE INITIATIVES
- Bike/commuting ride-share outreach
- Conversion to LED lighting
- Invasive species removal
- Shoreline trash removal
- Three Mile Creek
- Industrial Canal
- Garrows Bend
- Arlington Park
- Mobile River