Duluth Seaway Port Authority climbs in Green Marine environmental rating

The Duluth Seaway Port Authority and its terminal operations on Rice’s Point earned high marks in the recently released Green Marine 2020 environmental performance report, improving from a 3.8 rating in 2019 to a 4.0 score on Green Marine’s five-point scale. The overall average for reporting participants was 2.9.

The annual report rates port authority participants in seven categories: air emissions, community impacts, dry bulk handling and storage, environmental leadership, spill prevention, underwater noise, and waste management. A record 49 North American port authorities participated in the 2020 evaluation process, with the Duluth Seaway Port Authority ranking No. 4 in the United States and No. 1 among U.S. Great Lakes ports.

“We’re mindful of minimizing environmental impacts and the Green Marine program helps guide those efforts,” said Jeff Stollenwerk, Duluth Seaway Port Authority director of government and environmental affairs. “It provides a tangible scoreboard for environmental stewardship, with benchmarks that become increasingly stringent from year to year. That approach helps inspire participants to exceed regulatory requirements.”

The voluntary Green Marine certification program began in 2007 and now includes nearly 170 participating ship owners, port authorities, seaway corporations, terminal operators and shipyard managers. Program participants must adopt practices and technologies that continually reduce their environmental footprint on the land, air and sea. The Duluth Seaway Port Authority has participated since the program’s inception.

Approximately 800 vessels and 35 million short tons of cargo move through the Port of Duluth- Superior each year, making it the Great Lakes’ largest tonnage port and one of the nation’s top 20. The port supports nearly 8,000 jobs and contributes $1.4 billion in business revenue to the regional economy. Learn more at DuluthPort.com.