Port of Albany Receives Green Marine Recertification for Environmental Sustainability Efforts

The Port of Albany was recently awarded recertification by Green Marine, the leading environmental program for the maritime industry that helps participants improve environmental performance beyond regulations.

The Port of Albany was the first port in New York state to volunteer and certify in the Green Marine program and has continued to meet the environmentally forward benchmarks with consistent and consecutive Green Marine certifications since 2016.

“The Port leadership recognized early on how important the Green Marine initiative is, so we became early adopters,” said Richard Hendrick, Port of Albany CEO. “We see every day the impact that all industries have on our environment, especially the Hudson River. By coming together with our Port tenants, business neighbors, and other maritime related businesses and by making strategic adjustments, we make a difference.”

The Green Marine program provides a comprehensive framework for ports and maritime companies to assess and improve their environmental performance. Participants must demonstrate continual and measurable improvement year after year. The Port continues to increase certification levels each year in all categories. The Port has achieved the highest levels possible in the Environmental Leadership and Community Impact categories.

Among the Port’s environmental accomplishments are the installation of EV charging stations, the institution of a rigorous recycling program, the addition of stormwater collection basin (CDS unit) that collect floating trash, the installation of LED lighting in all Terminal Sheds and along the external roadways, and the implementation of policy updates related to truck idling and fueling, and the formation of a Marine Operations Committee to focus on environmental goals and future collaborations.

Port of Albany staff, tenants, and business neighbors came together recently and welcomed Allison Ryan, Green Marine program manager, who shared information about the types of membership, the qualification measures, and how Green Marine is helping the maritime/maritime-adjacent industries improve environmental performance beyond regulations.

“Green Marine brings together hundreds of global members from different backgrounds that all share the same objectives,” said Ryan. “They all want to improve their own organization’s environmental performance through measurable action and transparent reporting, which in turn contributes to the efforts of the entire maritime industry. Green Marine helps by providing a roadmap and access to experts who can help create and assess strategies that lead to successful certification.”

The Green Marine program targets key environmental issues related to biodiversity protection, air/water/soil quality, and community relations, and how those areas can be improved by various participants, including ship owners, ports, terminals, shipyards. In addition, Green Marine welcomes supporters (environmental groups, scientific institutions, and government agencies), associations, and partners to its membership ranks. To obtain Green Marine certification, participants benchmark their environmental performance on a 1-to-5 scale using indicators reviewed annually in the spirit of continual improvement at the heart of the certification program.

The Port of Albany continues to be a key regional economic driver with an annual impact of more than $428 million and approximately 1,400 local jobs (and more than $813 million and 4,500 jobs throughout the state).