Tanger Med Port, Igoumenitsa Port commended for renewing EcoPorts PERS Certification

Tanger Med Port Authority in Morocco and Igoumenitsa Port Authority in Greece have been commended by the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) for successfully renewing the EcoPorts’ environmental management standard (PERS).

ESPO in a statement said this was the third time Tanger Med Port has achieved the PERS certification while it was Igoumenitsa’s fourth. Both important Mediterranean ports have received their PERS certificates in digital handover ceremonies.

Remarking on the PERS renewal, Isabelle Ryckbost, ESPO’s Secretary General, said, ‘I would like to congratulate the Port of Igoumenitsa for its renewed PERS certification. Like all ferry and touristic ports, Igoumenitsa is severely affected by the current pandemic. This has not prevented the port from staying close to its environmental ambitions by renewing their PERS certificate. As for Tanger Med port Authority, we consider its will to be part of the Ecoports network and renew the PERS  as an important proof that Tanger Med port shares its environmental agenda with its European counterparts.”

PERS certification requires the port to put forward a range of measures to demonstrate effective environmental management. These measures range from identification and monitoring of the most pertinent environmental challenges to enhancing communication with the local community and increasing transparency through creating and publishing an environmental report.

EcoPorts Coordinator Valter Selén commented that ‘it is very heartening to see that Tanger Med Port and Igoumenitsa Port, alongside other ports around Europe, are continuing and increasing their engagement with environmental issues. By renewing their PERS certification for the third and fourth times, these ports show a laudable commitment to environmental management, and provide a valuable example for other ports in the EcoPorts network looking to engage more actively with these issues. Their PERS certification is testament to the important role played by PERS as a guarantor of environmental excellence and continuous improvement. Well-deserved congratulations to the Tanger Med and Igoumenitsa port authorities are in order.’

The number of PERS Certified ports currently stands at 24, around a fifth of the 117 ports in the Ecoports Network. Compliance with the PERS standard is independently assessed by Lloyd’s Register, with the certificate having a validity of two years.

Tanger Med Port Authority receives its PERS Certificate for the third time.