The Port Environmental Review System (PERS) is a tool primarily designed to assist ports to implement the recommendations set in the ESPO Environmental Review of 2001 and reinforced in the new ESPO Environmental Code of Practice (2003).

More specifically ESPO recommends that ports should:

• Prepare a publicly available environment policy setting out their strategies and methods of achieving them
• Regularly review their plans to take account of legislative and other changes
• Produce a publicly available Annual Environmental Review
• Consider what environmental monitoring is required to assess their environmental progress
• Establish a number of relevant environmental indicators with targets to measure progress
• Consult adequately within the local community on their environmental programme.

PERS is based on internationally recognized professional best practice, and yet, remains a port-specific system developed by ports – for ports. It is formulated to be flexible and capable of evolution so that it can be adapted to future changes in legislation and priorities for action.

The System defines a basic standard of good practice for the port sector. Ports wishing to progress to successively more comprehensive systems such as ISO 14001 or EMAS can do so by building on the PERS experience.

Successful Case Study

Click here to learn how ABP (Associated British Ports) achieved PERS certification in it's South Wales ports of Cardiff, Barry, Swansea, Port Talbot and Newport in April 2005. Applications for a further five of the Group's ports are currently in preparation.

Learn more about:

> Why my Port should consider adopting PERS 
> Experiences of other ports (Thessaloniki) or (Cork)
> Application procedure
> Review and Certification Procedure 
> List of Certified Ports
> Frequently Asked Questions