NIT Receives ISO Environmental Certification; All VPA Terminals Carry Designation

Norfolk – The Virginia Port Authority in May received ISO 14001 Environmental Management System certification for Norfolk International Terminals (NIT) and in doing so made The Port of Virginia the only major East Coast port to have all its marine terminals ISO 14001 certified.

"This certification expands beyond the waterways," said Heather Wood, the VPA's director of environmental affairs. "Our commitment is to pollution prevention, compliance on various levels and continuous improvement of our environmental management system. Our effort is has been certified and is now recognized on a global level."

The ISO 14001:2010 is a certification of an environmental management system, which requires an organization to manage, measure, improve and communicate its environmental program in a systematic way. One of the primary requirements for certification is to have a comprehensive list of environmental aspects associated with terminal operations and identify those that can have the most significant effects on the environment. The key commitments of the terminal's environmental policy include stopping pollution, obeying environmental rules, improving performance and reducing waste.

The process of obtaining the certification included identifying all of the environmental issues associated with the port operations; evaluating potential impacts; determining needs; and developing a continuous management plan that includes a training and awareness element.

In May, Bureau Veritas, an independent auditor for ISO [International Organization for Standards], began a detailed review of the environmental management plan for NIT. The audit included random site inspections and interviews with terminal personnel on the environmental processes and issues relating to their jobs.

In order to monitor continued compliance with the ISO 14001:2004 certification, the VPA will have "surveillance audits" conducted annually by an external auditor until the recertification audit. In addition, internal audits will be conducted in between the surveillance audits.