Port governance and management systems

5.3Port governance and management systems

Management systems provide a framework to avoid and mitigate impacts and drive continuous improvement. A number of tools are available internationally to assist ports to develop an environmental management system. These include:

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  ISO 14001 – The International Standard ISO 14001 Environmental management systems – requirements with guidance for use (ISO 14001) is recognised internationally as providing a generic standard for environmental management systems. ISO 14001 is designed to assist organisations to minimise their impacts on the environment, achieve compliance with environmental legal and other requirements, and to continually improve their environmental performance. These objectives are facilitated by a ‘plan, do, check, review’ process requiring organisations to identify and manage their significant environmental aspects. Organisations may choose to become certified to ISO 14001, with a third party auditor conducting a certification audit followed by periodic surveillance audits.
  
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  European Union Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) – Similar to ISO 14001, EMAS provides a structured framework for driving improved environmental performance and is based around a plan-do, check-act process. EMAS is a voluntary scheme open to both public and private companies in the EU and is governed by the EMAS Regulation 2009.
  
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  EcoPorts and the Port Environmental Review System (PERS) – ESPO offers its member ports a number of services aimed at improving environmental management. EcoPorts is one of these (www.ecoports.com) and was developed to encourage sharing of knowledge and experience in environmental management between port professionals. EcoPorts provides ports with two key tools:
  

Some international ports have developed policies, procedures or plans to improve governance of environmental management and manage specific environmental issues or processes. In some cases these documents may have been developed as part of a broader environmental management system, whilst in others these documents have been developed in response to a specific issue or legislative requirement. Some examples of these are provided below:

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  Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach – The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which are located adjacent to each other, developed the San Pedro Bay Clean Air Action Plan designed to achieve significant reductions in air pollution and associated health risks by setting emissions reduction goals and targets, developing strategies to meet these targets, monitoring emissions to assess progress and then reviewing for continuous improvement. This plan was developed to manage a specific environmental issue (air quality).
  
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  Port of Dover – The Port of Dover’s Sustainable Development Policy states that designs will be developed with consideration of how they will influence operational users to act in an environmental responsible manner. Social and environmental concerns will be considered from project inception stage along with the economic aspects so that the principles of environmental sustainability guide all project decisions. The Port of Dover also considers the environment as part of its procurement processes including procurement for construction.
  
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  Port of Metro Vancouver – Under the Canada Marine Act, Port Metro Vancouver is responsible for administration, management and control of land and water in its jurisdiction. In order to administer these responsibilities, Port Metro Vancouver has established an in house Environmental Assessment Procedure to review all project proposals involving physical works in the Port’s jurisdiction. The Project Review Application Form requires a description of in water activities, and a description and proposed mitigation measures for project environmental implications. As part of this process the Port may refer projects with particular environmental impacts on to other agencies to review and provide recommendations on conditions of approval. The Environmental Assessment Procedure review then informs conditions that the project proponent must adhere to when conducting the project.
  

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  58 per cent reduction in waste
  
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  47 per cent reduction in stormwater constituents
  
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  20 per cent reduction in insurance costs (Port of Houston Authority)
  
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  Completion of a Natural Resources Assessment and Management Plan, including ecological mapping, to streamline data collection and reduce delays in approval processes (Port of Portland)
  
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  Implementation of a Clean Marina Program (Port of Los Angeles) (Kruse, 2005).
  

The ESPO and the EcoPorts Foundation conducted a periodic review of environmental benchmark performance of ports in the ESPO in 2009. This review indicated that progress has been made in environmental management and systems, but 71 per cent of ports still experience difficulties implementing environmental management. Challenges included the number of authorities and stakeholders involved, expense, lack of awareness of good practice, status given to environmental issues and information and guidance related to legislation.

Adoption of port wide environmental management systems and, where required, management plans for specific issues, projects or activities, is standard practice in Australian ports, with most Australian ports publishing details of their approach to environmental management on their websites.