Port Continues Progress on Green Marine

Port Continues Progress on Green Marine

February 22, 2025

By Rodger Rees, Galveston Wharves Port Director and CEO

We could not have envisioned where our Green Marine journey would take us when we earned certification in the voluntary environmental program in 2021. With the commitment of our board of trustees and staff, we’re identifying opportunities for environmental initiatives unimagined just a few years ago.

Green Marine helps guide the Galveston Wharves and others in the North American maritime industry who want to reduce their environmental footprints in areas like air and water pollution, waste management, and community impacts. 

To maintain certification, we must benchmark our annual environmental performance through Green Marine’s self-evaluation guides and show improvement each year. Our results are confirmed by an accredited external verifier and published by Green Marine.

Notable accomplishments in 2024 include the following:

• Electric vehicle charging stations: The port installed 28 electric vehicle charging stations for port parking customers with funding from a $35,000 state grant matched with $40,000 from the port.
• Clean LNG marine fuel: Carnival Jubilee, the first LNG-fueled cruise ship to homeport in Galveston, has been fueled by LNG barge since early 2024. We hope that it’s the first of many cruise ships homeporting at Galveston to have this energy technology.
• Shore power to improve air quality: We’ve begun procurement activities through a grant from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to fund a microgrid pilot project to provide shore power for cargo ships. We’re also making good progress on a final project cost estimate to provide this environmentally beneficial power to cruise ships while docked in Galveston.  
• Greenhouse gases (GHGs) study: After establishing a baseline for measuring greenhouse gases at the port, we established performance targets and strategies to reduce emissions.
• Water quality plans: The port developed a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan to prevent and/or reduce pollutants in stormwater discharges from waterfront construction sites.
• Renewable energy: The port has transitioned to an electricity provider that sources 100-percent renewable energy.

We’ll build on this progress in 2025 with goals around air quality, clean energy, waste reduction and community leadership.

Our air quality objectives include continuing to measure GHGs, implement measures to reduce GHGs and establish performance measures.

We aim to make tangible progress on our shore power microgrid project and begin engineering for cruise ship shore power.

In the area of waste reduction, we’ll expand our port recycling program, analyze waste and find ways to reduce how much goes to the landfill, and run a recycling pilot program at one of our cruise terminals.

Finally, we’ll continue to partner with port tenants and community groups on environmental programs, such as an Earth Day event.

All these programs strengthen our relationships with our business partners and the community, while making positive, long-term environmental impacts.