Holland America Line Receives Seventh Consecutive Green Gateway Award from Port of Seattle for Environmental Stewardship

It's lucky sevens for Holland America Line this year. The Port of Seattle presented Seattle's Hometown Cruise Line with its seventh consecutive Green Gateway Award. The Port of Seattle presents the Green Gateway Awards annually to cruise and commercial lines that call at the port and whose environmental efforts are deemed worthy of recognition. Port of Seattle cited Holland America Line's environmental stewardship initiatives that exceed regulations and industry standards, including the use of shore power while at Port of Seattle; biodegradable cleaners wherever possible; and electronic log books for environmental entries on board that improve data quality, analysis and efficiency.

"Environmental stewardship is a priority at Holland America Line, and it's an honor for the Port of Seattle to recognize our efforts for the seventh consecutive year," said Orlando Ashford, Holland America Line's president. "We are dedicated to responsibly sailing the world's oceans and continuing to implement new initiatives and seek new ways to be environmental innovators."

In previous years Holland America Line received the Green Gateway Award for its use of shore power, installation of IPCO Power Fuel Treatment systems, comprehensive practices to reduce emissions and its commitment to protecting the environment.

A Long Partnership
Holland America Line ships have been sailing from the Port of Seattle since the 1970s. In May 2002 Holland America Line began using Seattle as a home port for Alaska cruises. This year the company has three ships sailing regularly from Seattle on 53 Alaska cruises from May through September.

Seattle, the Green Gateway
Seattle offers the lowest carbon footprint for cargo shipped by sea from Asia to major markets in the Midwest and East Coast, making it the Green Gateway for trade. That designation was determined by the "Carbon Footprint Study of the Asia to North America Intermodal Trade" conducted by Herbert Engineering Corp., which looked at CO2 emissions of intermodal shipments from Asia to North American markets.

Holland America Line's Environmental Achievements & Accolades
Holland America Line's ships meet or exceed all provisions of the international regulations governing the environmental management of marine operations. But the company aims for superior environmental performance while operating responsibly to reduce pollution through strong policies, effective procedures, innovative technology, best practices and consistent training of employees.

Holland America Line is among the pioneers in the maritime industry in investing in technology to reduce engine emissions while a ship is at berth. Six of the 14 Holland America Line ships—ms Amsterdam, ms Veendam, ms Noordam, ms Zuiderdam, ms Oosterdam and ms Westerdam—use shore power at the ports of Seattle, San Diego, Halifax, and Vancouver. In addition all ships in the fleet, except ms Prinsendam, employ exhaust gas cleaning systems, or "scrubber technology," to reduce sulfur compounds and particulate matter from the ships' engine exhaust. For more information, visit HollandAmerica.com.