Independent risk management firm Lloyd’s Register awarded Shell the green passports following surveys, audits and a review of the relevant documentation.

The passport is a document that contains an inventory of all the materials onboard a ship that require careful handling or special awareness. The record accompanies the ship throughout its operational life and is updated when necessary. At the end of the ship’s life, it helps the ship-recycling yard formulate a safe and environmentally friendly way of decommissioning the ship.

Shell Ship Management general manager Mats Gjers said the company has been working to implement the program across the entire fleet of LNG carriers since its first vessel, Granatina, was awarded the world’s first green passport in November 2004.

“The achievement of this goal is a credit to our staff and to Lloyd’s Register, who have been working together closely to document and verify the information required for certification,” he said.

“As well as being an invaluable tool for the ship recycling yards, the green passport also helps to raise staff awareness of the materials onboard that require special handling.”

Lloyd’s Register said the green passport also helped Shell’s ship management division recently achieve ISO 14001 accreditation, as it is a means of demonstrating a ‘measurable and achievable’ improvement of the company’s environmental standards.

“We commend Shell on its forward-thinking attitude towards environmental protection and its early and extensive adoption of the green passport,” Lloyd’s Register marine director Alan Gavin said.

“The shipping industry now works in a zero-tolerance society, which expects all stakeholders to operate in a safe and efficient manner while minimising the risks to the environment.

“We believe that working with industry leaders on the implementation of initiatives such as the green passport represents a step forward for shipping as a whole.”