The Tan Cang Cat Lai Port. The port is the first in Vietnam to be recognised as a green port by the APEC Port Services Network. (Photo: vneconomy.vn)The criteria are expected to push port-managing firms to embrace greendevelopment, improving their competitiveness and ensuring sustainability. Agreen assessment will be carried out every three years.
The first criterion is that the firms strictly comply with environmentalregulations specified in Vietnam's legal documents and international agreementsof which Vietnam is a member.
Additionally, the firms must closely monitor their port construction andoperation and make frequent reports on their environmental impacts.
The second criterion comprises three sub-criteria with specific max pointsassigned to each.
Under the Commitment sub-criterion, port-managing firms get 0.75 points oncethey have a 'Strategy for Green Ports,' finance for the strategy and annualreports on its development.
The firms get an additional 0.5 points if they launch campaigns to raiseawareness about green ports and promote their popularity. The maximum pointsfor the sub-criterion are 1.25 points.
The Action sub-criterion assigns 0.375 points to firms that commit themselvesto clean energy, including solar and wind energy, 0.5 points to their efficientuse of power and electricity, and 0.25 points to their switch toenvironment-friendly materials.
Their efforts to reduce air and noise pollution and improve waste treatmentwill earn 0.625 points. Green management, which involves an EnvironmentalManagement System and an ISO-certified Occupational Health and Safety System,brings another 0.375 points.
Their incorporation of information technology into ports' operation, includingonline payments, e-invoices, e-port and mobile apps, would add 0.375 points totheir score. The maximum points for Action are 2.5 points.
Under the Outcome sub-criterion, port-managing firms earn a maximum of 1.25points if their efforts at environmental protection and efficient use of energyproduce exceptional outcomes.
After the green assessment, the firms are classified according to their totalpoints into bad, poor, average, good and excellent.
Firms under the bad category are believed to "make no efforts to developgreen ports" whereas those under the poor category "make littleefforts" to do so.
The average category comprises firms that "adequately engage in greenports development."
Meanwhile, the good category involves firms that "systematically promotegreen ports" and the excellent category involves ones that "incorporatemanagement systems and technologies into green ports development."
Tan Cang Cat Lai is the first port in Vietnam to be recognised as a green portby the APEC Port Services Network.
The port has replaced its diesel-powered lifting equipment withelectricity-powered equipment to cut fuel costs by 2 million USD per year.
The use of e-documents has also allowed it to cut queuing time from 13 to 6mins for each vehicle and saved its employees dealing with around 50,000 papersper day.
The authorities expect that all ports in Vietnam will compulsorily go greenfrom 2030./.
VNA
