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Brittany Ferries recognised with Green Marine Europe certification at Green Shipping Day
Brittany Ferries has been awarded Green Marine Europe certification for the seventh consecutive year, at Green Shipping Day, held in Nice on 23 September 2026.
This voluntary, independent certification assesses the company’s environmental performance against eight criteria specific to shipowners. Compliance with the programme’s requirements is verified by an independent third party every two years.
Since summer 2024, Green Marine Europe has been established as a French non-profit association (governed by the French law of 1901) and is the European branch of Green Marine International. The certification is open to shipowners, as well as shipyards and ports. It aims to encourage maritime operators to take action that goes beyond applicable regulatory requirements.
*The results achieved for the certification’s various indicators are valid from 2026 to 2028. In years without an external audit, a signed declaration (self-declaration or self-assessment) is required under the programme’s rules.
An assessment based on precise criteria
For shipowners, the Green Marine Europe programme covers eight criteria, grouped under six environmental themes: air quality†, water quality, waste management, biodiversity, noise pollution and ship recycling.
Vincent Coquen, Head of Sustainability and Maritime Institutional Relations at Brittany Ferries, welcomed the company’s continuous improvement:
“Since the certification was created, Brittany Ferries has shown remarkable progress. Across all the criteria assessed, the company now has a structured environmental approach, integrated into its management systems and based on the quantified monitoring of its impacts. It has also reached the excellence level for sulphur oxide (SOx), nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter emissions, thanks to the renewal of its fleet.”
†Air quality covers three criteria: greenhouse gas emissions, nitrogen oxide emissions, and sulphur oxide and particulate matter emissions.
Pursuing a path of environmental action
Present in Nice, Christophe Mathieu, CEO of Brittany Ferries, said:
“Achieving this certification for the seventh year shows that the ecological transition is not an option, but a lasting path that we are following with determination.”
By achieving this certification, Brittany Ferries reaffirms its commitment to taking concrete action to reduce the environmental footprint of its activities.
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Notes to editors
Press contacts
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- Ian Le Moigne [email protected]
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About Brittany Ferries
Brittany Ferries was conceived in 1972, starting life as a freight-only ferry-service on 2nd January the following year. The first vessel (Kerisnel) linked Roscoff in Brittany with Plymouth on the southwest coast of England and carried a cargo of cauliflowers and cognac.
Since then, the company has progressively launched, then strengthened its shipping routes. In more than 53 years of service, millions of passengers and businesses have travelled by sea across the so-called ‘Atlantic Arc’ (western France, UK, northern Spain and Ireland). They rely on the links forged by more than five decades of experience. In addition to cutting congestion and emissions on busy roads, Brittany Ferries’ motorways-of the sea (and more recently rail) have helped enrich local communities, creating jobs, nurturing international tourism and boosting cross-border trade.
Five new vessels have joined the fleet in the last six years. Two LNG-hybrids (Saint-Malo in February 2025 and Guillaume de Normandie in April 2025) completed the largest fleet renewal programme in the company’s history.