Good News and Good Job for Holland America Line

Three of Holland America Line's Vista-class ships -- Noordam, Westerdam and Oosterdam -- received the 2006 Green Planet Award bestowed by Kuoni Switzerland for outstanding environmental standards. The Green Planet Award was established six years ago by Kuoni to recognize eco-minded hotels and resorts; it was extended to cruise ships in 2003. It recognizes exemplary handling of environmental issues such as energy use, water consumption and waste disposal, plus staff training and guest education regarding environmental concerns. Stein Kruse, president and chief executive officer said Holland America Environmental Management System was certified to conform to the ISO 14001 standard by an independent registrar -- Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance -- in June 2006. The Environmental Management System encompasses all environmental policies, training and procedures for every shipboard aspect. "Earning the ISO 14001 certification was a major verification of Holland America Line's strong commitment to responsible environmental stewardship," said Matthias Leisinger, project manager, corporate responsibility, Kuoni Travel Ltd. "That, and the fact that most of Holland America Line's ships are equipped with an advanced waste water treatment system, made Holland America Line ships qualify for 2006 Green Planet Awards. Since Kuoni had to choose the ‘best in class,' we selected the Vista-class Westerdam and Oosterdam because they have -- and the Noordam will shortly have -- shore power plug-in systems that significantly reduce fuel consumption and green house gas emissions." Holland America also has a fleetwide program that emphasizes waste reduction and recycling, compliance with all international environmental guidelines and a decision to incorporate cleaner-burning propulsion technology into the line's new ships. An environmental officer serves on each ship to oversee shipboard compliance and procedures. Each ship in the Holland America Line fleet undergoes a strict port- and flag-state inspection annually and a mandatory environmental audit conducted both by an outside environmental auditing firm and by internal staff