Marine Recycling Corp. joining Green Marine certification program
Port Colborne company dismantles ships at its yard at the mouth of the Welland Canal
A Port Colborne ship dismantling company will undergo a rigorous certification process to obtain a Green Marine environmental designation for its yard on the Welland Canal.
Marine Recycling Corp. (MRC) is the newest member of Green Marine, a voluntary certification program for the North American marine industry.
A release from Green Marine said MRC, in operation for 50 years, is a global leader in marine asset dismantling and demolition.
It said the company will initially certify the Port Colborne shipyard, at the end of the east side at the mouth of the Welland Canal, and plans to add shipyards in Nova Scotia and British Columbia later.
MRC dismantles lakers, tugs, barges and ferries at its yard on Lake Erie.
It’s where the iconic Captain-John’s restaurant — the vessel was named MS Jadran and docked in Toronto harbour — was towed in 2015 and dismantled.
The company also dismantles military and government assets — it once took apart a Canadian submarine at a facility in Port Maitland on the Grand River.
In the release, MRC president Jordan Elliott said the company was the first ship recycling company to be certified ISO 14001, an internationally recognized standard for environmental management systems.
“MRC believes that all vessels should be recycled properly, without negative environmental impacts or unnecessary safety risks.
By joining Green Marine, we’ realigning the program’ s dedication to making continual environmental improvements in substantiated ways with our vision and values for doing this essential marine work with a minimal foot print ,” Elliott said.
Green Marine president David Bolduc said MRC will bring substantial expertise in sustainable shipyard practices to participants in the program.
“By joining, MRC will also have access to a step-by-step process for setting and achieving even more ambitious yet still realistic goals for raising the bar for all shipyard operations,” he said.
The release said the company will assess its environmental performance through indicators that address issues such as green house gases and air pollutants, spill prevention and stormwater management, waste management, and community impacts and relations.
It also said the certification process is rigorous and transparent, with results independently verified every two years and each participant’s performance made public annually.
MRC joins other Green Marine participants: St. Catharines-based Algoma Central Corp., which owns and operates the largest fleet of dry and liquid bulk carriers operating on the Great Lakes-St.Lawrence Seaway system; and Montrealbased Logistec Corp., now owned by Blue Wolf Capital Partners LLC, which operates the stone dock at Ramey’s Bend in Port Colborne.