DULUTH, Minn. — The Duluth Seaway Port Authority and its terminal operations on Rice’s Point ranked among the nation’s top performers in the recently released Green Marine 2022 environmental performance report, posting a 4.0 score on Green Marine’s five-point scale, an improvement from 3.8 in 2021. The overall average for port authority participants in 2022 was 3.09
The annual report rates port authority participants in eight categories: air emissions, community impacts, dry bulk handling and storage, environmental leadership, underwater noise, waste management, spill prevention and stormwater management, and community relations. A record 51 North American ports participated in the evaluation process this year, with the Duluth Seaway Port Authority ranking No. 7 in the United States and No. 1 among U.S. Great Lakes ports.
“Green Marine provides a tangible annual scoreboard for environmental stewardship, with performance criteria that become increasingly robust each year, and independent review of the scoring,” said Jeff Stollenwerk, Duluth Seaway Port Authority director of government and environmental affairs. “The process raises awareness of our work to minimize environmental impacts and it helps us continually look to improve.”
The voluntary Green Marine certification program began in October 2007 and now includes 175 participating ship owners, port authorities, seaway corporations, terminal operators and shipyard managers. Program participants must adopt practices and technologies that continually reduce their environmental footprint on the land, air and sea. The Duluth Seaway Port Authority has participated since the program’s inception. Deb DeLuca, executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, was elected to the nine-member Green Marine board of directors in June 2023.
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Approximately 800 vessels and 35 million short tons of cargo move through the Port of Duluth-Superior each year, making it the Great Lakes’ largest tonnage port and one of the nation’s top 20. The port supports nearly 8,000 jobs and contributes $1.4 billion in business revenue to the regional economy. Learn more at DuluthPort.com.