Global · Case study

Manly Fast Ferry

Sydney Harbour, AustraliaManly Fast Ferry reports that its Green Marine certification was awarded in June 2025 (entity-supplied case study), following the Green Marine self-assessment and on-vessel audit process with independent auditor.

Case study supplied by Manly Fast Ferry for inclusion in the Green Ports Toolkit.

Overview and Summary

The NRMA owns and operates a high frequency passenger ferry service between Manly and Circular Quay, on Sydney Harbour. Manly Fast Ferry (MFF) plays a critical role in Sydney’s public transport network. As a harbor-based operator in a highly visible and environmentally sensitive setting, the NRMA recognizes the importance of managing and reducing its environmental impacts while maintaining safe, reliable services.

In pursuit of continuous improvement and credible environmental performance benchmarking, the NRMA undertook the Green Marine certification process for its MFF operations. Green Marine is an internationally recognized voluntary environmental certification program for the maritime industry, requiring participants to assess, document, and verify their performance across a range of environmental indicators.

The certification process provides a structured framework to evaluate existing practices, identify gaps, and formalize systems already embedded across operations, maintenance, and crew procedures. It also required external validation of the organization’s processes and performance, which was done through an independent auditor.

Auditing and Certification Experience

We found the Green Marine audit process to be robust, transparent, and constructive. Preparation required close collaboration across operational, technical, and corporate teams to gather evidence demonstrating compliance with each performance indicator. This included documentation of policies and procedures, operational records, maintenance practices, training materials, and data related to fuel use, waste, and spill prevention.

The independent audit experience was a practical and supportive process. The audit discussions helped clarify expectations, confirm interpretations of criteria, and identify opportunities for further improvement beyond minimum certification requirements.

Importantly, the process reinforced the value of consistency and traceability, ensuring that good operational practices are supported by clear documentation and measurable outcomes.

While achieving Green Marine certification required an upfront investment, the benefits extend well beyond certification itself. Internally, the process strengthened environmental governance, improved recordkeeping, and increased awareness and engagement among crews and operational staff. It also supported better alignment between environmental objectives and day-to-day decision-making.

Externally, Green Marine certification provides a credible, third-party recognition of its environmental performance. This is increasingly valuable for stakeholder engagement, including regulators, government partners, customers, and the broader community. It also allowed us to replace a contractual requirement for an ISC rating with a fit-for-purpose maritime-based environmental accreditation.

Green Marine requires annual self-evaluation and periodic external verification. Its specified minimum annual score progression applies until Level 2 is reached for all applicable indicators. This allays greenwashing concerns from our government partners, possible investors and other significant stakeholders because there are traceable and auditable improvements to our operations that must stand the test of time.

Transferability:

DMC ferry operators and smaller port users can use Green Marine to formalize good practices that are already in place but poorly documented.

Preparation draws on operations, maintenance and corporate teams, so early coordination and good recordkeeping matter more than new capital spending.

Third-party certification can also meet contract requirements set by government partners, and its traceable record of improvement helps address greenwashing concerns.

Sources

All information used for this case study was based on publicly available resources.