Haropa Port gets additional environmental certificate
by Clémence Rebours 3 Nov 2021 05:26 PDT
La Fabrique skippers Alan Roura and Sebastien Audigane take 21st place of the IMOCA category of the Transat Jacques Vabre on November 12, in Bahia, Brazil. Transat Jacques Vabre is a duo sailing race from Le Havre, France, to Salvador de Bahia, Brazil © Jean-Marie Liot / Alea
For the first time in its history, Le Havre regional management has been awarded ISO 14001 certification for its environmental management. Concurrently, after completion of a follow-up audit the award of the ISO 14001 to Paris regional management has been confirmed.
These certificates come on top of existing certifications as recognition of the ways and means allocated by France's leading port to providing an environmentally friendly service.
Le Havre: an additional environmental certificate
Haropa Port's environmental policy has passed yet another milestone. This can be said because the port of Le Havre has recently been certified compliant with ISO 14001 by AFNOR, thus declaring that the port's environmental management systems (EMS) meet the standard's criteria for the following activities: port processing of seagoing vessels, river boats and watercraft, accommodation and life on port land and management of connecting rail and road networks.
The certification was awarded in late July of this year for a period of three years, following an audit conducted from 14 to 17 June, thus confirming the value of a proactive policy to make environmental issues integral to the management of the port's projects. This means that Haropa Port is working on a daily basis to promote rational economic development, notably by making the ecological aspect and consultation processes part of each of its projects, from their initial design up to and including their execution.
Looking beyond this, Le Havre port has set in train numerous measures aimed at limiting its environmental footprint, among them a search for innovative, less polluting techniques (e.g. the use of cryogenics to clean bridges and locks for significant reductions in waste volume), individualised management of natural habitats, transforming green spaces into areas conducive to biodiversity (notably by implementing eco-grazing), the greening of the port's vehicle fleet and provision of bicycles for use by port personnel.
Quality: renewal of the ISO 9001 certificate
The port of Le Havre has also obtained the renewal of its ISO 9001 certificate originally awarded in 2014. This underscores its desire to implement an approach focused on quality and customer satisfaction with the aim of ensuring continuous improvement for the processes in place.
This certification also makes it possible, with a view to the sharing of good practice, to work to the same quality criteria as those of its customers and partners who are already certified, thereby developing useful synergies. These are the certifications awarded:
- ISO 28000, granted in 2010 for supply chain security.
NB: Le Havre port was the first port in Europe and the second worldwide to be certified for this in 2010,
- ISO 9001, granted in 2014 for vessel processing, accommodation and life on port land
and management of connecting rail and road networks,
- ISO 14001, granted in 2021 for its environmental management,
- PERS1, granted in 2016 for its environmental management.
Paris: confirmation of ISO 14001 certification
Paris regional management was awarded ISO 14 001 certification as early as 2013. This ISO 14001 certification was renewed for a period of three years from 16 September 2019. It covers:
- the creation of new ports, as applicable to the project for the Port Seine-Métropole Ouest platform,
- the operation of the above platform, as applicable to Gennevilliers port.
Consideration of the outcome of monitoring of satisfactory implementation of the ISO 14001:2015 standard led to issuance of conclusions on 10 October 2021. The Paris regional management's environmental management system was once again declared compliant with the requirements of the standard. Its EMS was judged to be relevant, mature and effective, especially with regard to improvements in the ports' image for the local population.
"These certificates constitute recognition not of the transition but of the far-reaching transformation in which we have been engaged for several years now," declares Stéphane Raison, CEO of HAROPA PORT. "It is a daily challenge for our teams because we are aware of the impacts our activities can have on the environment. But it is our responsibility as a public entity to take every possible step to make our industrial and port complex more environmentally friendly."
Rouen
A programme of certification undertaken to promote a responsible service offering
For several years now, Rouen regional management has been pursuing a programme of certification aimed at improving the satisfaction felt by its customers and providing them with compliant services and high performance where the environment is concerned.
Harbourmaster's Office
Implementation of the Quality Management System in Rouen Harbourmaster's Office began in September 2002 and the initial ISO 9001:2008 certificate was awarded in September 2004. The scope of the Harbourmaster's quality management system covers Rouen port's processing of seagoing vessels and river boats.
Workshops and dredging
The quality programme for the Workshop and Dredging service based on the ISO 9001:2008 standard covers the vessel repair centre and the industrial maintenance component of the department's activities.
Four main objectives have been identified:
- Workshop customer satisfaction,
- Guaranteed occupational safety,
- Constant improvement of the service's performance,
- Long-term viability and modernisation of its activity in order to expand and foster the loyalty of an external customer base in order to balance the service's financial position.
Navigational assistance
In May 2018, the "hydrography" and "navigational assistance" activities of the port of Rouen's Channel and Navigational Assistance service were awarded ISO 9001 quality certification.
Environment
In 2017, Rouen regional management obtained ISO 14001 certification awarded by AFNOR and renewed in April 2021 for a period of three years. This standard is based on the principle of continuous improvement in environmental performance through control of impacts linked to the port's activity.
This certification covers the environmental management implemented for four core activities: dredged sediment transport as applicable to the Port-Jérôme facilities, the use of dredged sediment to fill gravel pits, port operational processes as applicable to the Radicatel terminal, and the Port's Environmental Department.
1Port Environmental Review System: a certificate issued by the EcoPorts foundation, funded by the European Commission and tasked with raising awareness of the need to protect the environment.