Minoan Lines strictly upholds the international convention MARPOL 73/78 regarding the prevention of pollution in the marine environment. This convention contains regulations on the subjecting of preventing and minimizing sea pollution from ships, and this includes both accidental pollution and pollution from routine operations.
Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter IX of the ISM Code according to SOLAS, Minoan Lines holds a document of compliance (DOC), while all ships hold Safety Management Certificates (SMC), thus ensuring that the company employs safety management systems (SMS) and that all its ships operate in accordance with its rules.
ISO 9000 Quality Management.
The branch of ISO 9000 examines various aspects of quality management and includes some of the most acknowledged ISO standards. These standards provide guidance, as well as the necessary tools for businesses and organizations desiring to ensure that their products and services fulfill passenger requirements.
ISO 14000 Environmental Management.
The ISO 14000 branch of standards provides practical tools for all types of businesses and organizations watching out for the management of their environmental responsibility.
Measures taken by the Company
While sea transportations are globally recognized to be the most efficient mode of transport, Minoan Lines pursues the constant improvement of efficiency, which will result in reducing the energy footprint of ships included in its fleet. As such, by employing practices such as maintaining optimal service speed and trim, proper use of ballast, and also by investing in innovative technical methods in its sector, such as the upgraded propeller design and the improvement of the ship's hull through the application of environmentally-friendly systems. By raising the bar of our energy efficiency, we are capable of actively responding to a global challenge, supporting the need to set apart economic development from CO2 emissions, and simultaneously achieve a decrease in our operational costs.
Ship waste, if it is discarded in the sea, is a potential threat to marine environment. By employing optimal practices on waste management and proper training of our crews, and also by establishing environmental consciousness for our passengers, our constant aim is to minimize environmental impact in the sea.
Recycling. Perhaps the most overlooked benefit of recycling is its impact for our environment. Recycling is salvaging a material that, although used and seemingly useless, is retains its value and its capacity for further use. Therefore, instead of discarding it to the environment, we return it to the economic cycle, thus making it possible to protect the environment and conserve raw materials and energy.
The subject of managing a sustainable supply chain has always been a significant environmental concern for our company. The supply of eco-friendly disposable materials, spare parts and equipment with high environmental performance constitutes a daily challenge for us.
2020 IMO FUEL SULPHUR REGULATION
Minoan Lines took seriously the global quest for reducing emissions and acted proactively investing on its vessels to reduce fleet CO2 footprint and in general to improve Greek coastal green records with the installation of exhaust gas cleaning technology (scrubbers) to its cruise ferries. The use of scrubbers will not only lead to the harmonization but will also enable the eradication of almost all the harmful emissions from the company’s vessels eliminating 97-98% of Sulphur oxides and 80-85% of particulate matter.
MINOAN LINES’ GREEN CRUISE FERRIES
Minoan Lines is the first and only shipping Company in the Greek ferry sector with its green ecological cruise ferries, H/S/F Knossos Palace, H/S/F Festos Palace and H/S/F Kydon Palace, to be fully harmonized with the new requirements for reduced emissions according to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Regulation.