Manly Boat Harbour gets a green thumbs up for environmental management

Manly Boat Harbour receives a green thumbs up for environmental management.

Moreton Bay Trailer Boat Club, Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron Ltd, Wynnum Manly Yacht Club, Port of Brisbane William Gunn Jetty and East Coast Marinas’ have worked hard to achieve their second Clean Marina accreditation having first joined the program in 2006.

The Port of Brisbane Corporation (which manages Manly Boat Harbour) recognizes the importance of tenants committing to better environmental standards.

The CEO, Jeff Coleman, said “The Port is committed to sustaining environmental practises, so we are proud to be supporting our tenants in the Clean Marina Australia program.”

“To become Clean Marina accredited, operators have to make a serious commitment to their environmental practices which is beneficial from a commercial and community perspective.”

The Clean Marinas Australia Program is a national, voluntary accreditation system for marinas, yacht clubs, boat clubs, slips, boatyards and associated industry operators across Australia. It was introduced by the Marina Industry Association of Australia (MIAA) to support Australia’s marine industries in their endeavors to protect our coastal and inland waterways.  

Colin Bansgrove, Executive Assistant for the Marina Industries Association of Australia, said the Clean Marinas Australia Program had grown from a local environmental initiative into an internationally recognised success story. “Since its inception, more than 50 industry-associated businesses have voluntarily joined the Clean Marinas Australia Program,” he said.  “We think this is evidence that marine businesses are looking for ways to benefit local ecosystems and minimise pollution impacts.”

To gain Clean Marina accreditation three levels of assessment must be achieved, and include: a public commitment to improve, a self-assessment and the achievement of basic environmental management systems, and an independent assessment that acknowledges the achievement of rigorous environmental management systems.
.
Practices for pump-outs, hull cleaning, turbidity, emissions, management of wastewater and accidental spills, as well as staff training and education of boat enthusiasts, are some of the criteria which is assessed.