On Wednesday, 15^th September 2021, Bolloré Ports declared the Meridian Port Services Ltd. (MPS) Terminal 3 Facility a Green Terminal. This is after an audit of its facility, equipment, energy consumptions, operating processes among many other subjects.

At a press conference and awarding ceremony, Director of Quality Health Safety & Environment (QHSE) for Bolloré Ports, Mr. Christian Devaux shared with the gathering, the global Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Plan of Bolloré Ports and elaborated about the Green Terminal methodology and Terminals’ classification. Mr Devaux explained that rating is governed by the audited compliance levels of over 250 set KPIs and administered by 4 levels scoring standard with entry at “no star” level when scoring above 50% and “One Star” for a score above 65% then “Two Stars” award is given when scoring above 80% and finally the highest is “Three Stars” for achieving score above 90%.

Green Certification Procedure

The Green Terminal label is centred on eight fundamental pillars namely:

1. Optimised management thanks to an environmental management system based on the ISO 14001 standard.
2. An eco-social commitment to local stakeholders. 
3. Building infrastructure in accordance with international standards.
4. Deploying environmentally friendly handling solutions and equipment that promote the energy transition.
5. Implementing digital solutions. 
6. Collection, recovery and recycling of waste.
7. Water , air treatment and control.
8. Training employees in best practices related to environmental issues.

The expertise and knowhow of Bureau Veritas was engaged to support Bolloré Ports in developing the Green Terminal Label as well as for carrying out annual audits to assess the environmental performance and issue the certificates of compliance to the enrolled Terminals.

Not only MPS-Terminal-3 is the first certified Green Terminal in the Bolloré Ports Network, but also MPS scored the highest in all chapters of the Green Terminal evaluation (86.58%) which reflects the Terminal’s management and shareholders commitment to environment in terms of reducing CO2 emissions among many others.

The impressive 86 percent audited score awarded MPS a remarkable “Two Stars” Green Terminal ratings. With this award MPS is topping all the participating port terminals in Africa, Asia and the Americas.

While presenting the certificate to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MPS, Mr. Devaux went on to talk about how MPS has demonstrated its ability to not only excel in operations & efficient port services but also MPS’s  determination to reduce the adverse impact of its operations on the environment. “Following our checks and comprehensive assessments, we are delighted to award this certificate to MPS signifying its achievements in the area of environmental sustainability”, said the Bolloré Director for QHSE.

In an acceptance speech, Mr. Mohamed Samara, The CEO of MPS, after delivering a presentation on MPS evolution, green policies and operational outlook reiterated the company’s pledge to improved environmental processes.

“For us here at MPS, ensuring environmental and social sustainability is at the core of business activities. Following the launch of the Green Terminal Certification, we committed to further improve on what has since become a culture, fortunately our efforts paid off and we successfully managed to reduce our carbon footprints to large extent.”

In 3 years, MPS has reduced greenhouse emissions by 36% making it one of the most energy efficient entities. In terms of the volumes handled, its carbon intensity is around 5kg CO2 eq/TEU for the 2020 financial year compared to 9kg CO2 eq/TEU for the 2018 financial year.

Mr. Samara attributed this success to the enormous commitment of the entire MPS management Team and further elaborated that the MPS Board of Directors and Shareholders attach immense importance to environment and social sustainability. In this respect, MPS has the set the following as its environmental and social sustainability goals: (1) Identify and Manage Environmental and Social Risks associated with all aspects of its operations. (2) Deploying innovation and globally acceptable methods to ensure the preservation of flora and fauna and restitution for any loss to personal or communal assets. (3) Providing the best working environment for its employees and contractors. (4) Working with host communities in upholding local norms and traditions. (5) Delivering shared benefit by liaising with host communities and external stakeholders in the area of community development.