In a dedicated ceremony that took place during the ESPO annual conference in Cyprus, Limassol 5 May, the ports of Bremen / Bremerhaven and Thessaloniki Port Authority S.A. were awarded with the Port Environmental Review System (PERS) certificate. The certification verifies that the ports’ environmental management programme is line with the requirements set by the EcoPorts PERS, the only port sector specific environmental management standard. The ports of Bremen / Bremerhaven achieved PERS certification for the first time while the port of Thessaloniki was re-certified building on its long standing commitment to the EcoPorts approach and tools since 2003.  
The Chairman of ESPO, Mr. Victor Schoenmakers congratulated the two ports on this significant achievement while highlighting the importance placed by ESPO to the promotion of the EcoPorts tools within its membership. Mrs. Bettina Linkogel, Head of section within the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Ports, received the PERS certificate on behalf of Bremen / Bremerhaven ports. After thanking all her colleagues that worked towards implementing PERS, Mrs. Linkogel highlighted the added value of PERS in clearly defining and documenting environmental responsibilities in a structured and consistent way. “To our ports this certificate will be an incentive to go further on the path of sustainability and to become better in the environmental sector”, Mrs. Linkogel concluded.



Mr. Miltiadis Arvanitidis, Head of Marketing and Sales of the port, and Chairman of the ESPO Economic Analysis and Statistics committee, received the PERS certificate on behalf of the Thessaloniki Port Authority. Mr. Arvanitidis thanked ESPO and expressed the port’s commitment towards the continuous improvement of its environmental management programme and performance.