This label, called "Green Marine Europe" and supported by the Surfrider Foundation Europe, aims to raise awareness on the environmental impacts of maritime transport and encourage shipowners to reduce their impacts by implementing an ecological transition policy and promote their initiatives.
This label works on periodic self-assessments on an annual basis, for which numerous criteria are considered such as aquatic invasive species, pollutant air emissions, waste management. Each of the criteria is rated from 1 (Monitoring of regulations) to 5 (Excellence and leadership).
Every two years, this information is reviewed by professionals certified by the steering committee.
You can find here the presentation of the Label.
One specific criteria of this label is particularly important for oceanographic fleets, the underwater noise. Indeed, this criteria is carefully monitored since years, considering ship radiated noise and self-noise levels and their impact on marine mammals and quality of underwater sensors such as multi-beam echo-sounder.
This label is already enforced in the French Oceanographic Fleet operated by IFREMER through its subsidiary Genavir. The underwater noise criteria will then be followed and supported through several measures and protocols dedicated to limiting noise emissions and preventing marine mammals impacts.
A brief presentation of these protocols is reachable here.