Green Award for Inland Shipping: Is It Right for You?
Author: Jeroen Berger • Publication date:
Since 2011, inland vessels have been eligible for Green Award certification — an independent sustainability label for vessels that demonstrably operate cleaner, safer, and more energy-efficiently than legally required. The Green Award program encourages sustainability in inland shipping and rewards frontrunners who invest in clean technologies and responsible operations. This aligns with the objectives of the European Green Deal and the CCR’s roadmap for emission reduction. In this article, you’ll discover what the Green Award program entails in 2025, how the assessment system works, and what the certification can mean for the performance, long-term viability, and competitive position of your inland vessel.
What Is the Green Award for Inland Shipping?
The Green Award is an internationally recognized certification program that promotes sustainability, safety, and energy efficiency in inland shipping. It was originally established in 1994 for seagoing vessels and has been available to inland vessels since 2011. Its purpose? To recognize and reward inland vessels that outperform legal requirements.
The certificate is considered one of the most respected sustainability accreditations in the inland shipping sector. It is valid for three years and is awarded based on a detailed evaluation of engine performance and additional measures. These include emission reduction, energy efficiency, safety, and environmental management. The inspection is carried out on board and supported by administrative verification.
What Are the Benefits of a Green Award Certificate?
A Green Award certificate offers clear advantages for shipping companies and shipowners in inland navigation. For instance, harbor fee discounts can reach up to 30% in ports like Rotterdam, the Netherlands, depending on the main engine’s emission performance. Vessels scoring below 400 points typically receive a 15% discount; higher scores qualify for the maximum.
Banks such as the Netherlands-based Rabobank offer interest rate reductions of up to 1.2% through impact loans for sustainably certified vessels. From a commercial perspective, the certificate also provides a clear advantage: in public tenders and bids, Green Award-certified vessels are often favored for their proven environmental performance.
Finally, the certification strengthens your professional image with clients, authorities, and cargo owners — and confirms your commitment to forward-thinking and socially responsible inland shipping.
Certification Levels: From Bronze to Platinum
The Green Award program features four certification levels, allowing shipowners to have their sustainability efforts recognized step by step: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Each level comes with its own set of criteria and rewards.
Bronze, for example, requires at least CCR2 main engines. Silver demands additional technical or operational measures, such as fuel monitoring, energy-efficient sailing, or a shore power connection. Gold is reserved for vessels with a Stage V main engine or a comparable retrofit solution — such as a combination of an SCR catalyst and a diesel particulate filter (DPF). Finally, Platinum is the highest level and is awarded to inland vessels that demonstrably operate with zero emissions — for example, through battery systems or hydrogen technology.
Stage V-Ready: Retrofit Solutions for Existing Engines
Inland vessels with older engines — such as CCR1, CCR2, or even pre-CCR — may also qualify for Green Award certification. The condition is that the engine demonstrably complies with the Green Award Foundation’s emission thresholds: NOx ≤ 6.0 g/kWh and PM ≤ 0.2 g/kWh, verified by an accredited emissions testing company. These thresholds are achievable through sustainable retrofit technologies, such as an SCR catalyst for nitrogen oxides and a DPF for particulate matter.
With these after-treatment systems, an existing engine can be upgraded to Stage V level — without the need for full engine replacement. Combined with additional onboard improvements like shore power or electric cranes, this opens the door to Gold or even Platinum certification.
What Measures Are Assessed?
The Green Award certification process for inland shipping is divided into two parts: engine performance and additional sustainability measures. For engine performance, both CCR2 and Stage V engines are accepted. Older engines — including CCR1 and pre-CCR — may also be eligible, provided they have been retrofitted and their emissions verified through CCR-compliant testing.
Additional criteria are assessed for their contribution to energy efficiency, environmental impact, operational optimization, and safety. Examples include LED lighting, battery-powered bow thrusters, energy-efficient auxiliary engines, closed bilge systems, biocide-free antifouling, EAL lubricants, use of shore power, CO2 monitoring per voyage, heat exchangers, dead-man switches, railing systems, participation in PZI, and regular fire drills.
The overall score across these areas determines the certification level: Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum.
Certification Costs in 2025
The cost of obtaining a Green Award certificate in 2025 depends on the vessel type and its tonnage class. Fees are excluding VAT and cover a three-year validity period. Inland vessels such as hopper barges, container ships, tankers, and push boats pay €710 for vessels up to 1,250 tons, €845 up to 2,500 tons, and €970 for vessels over 2,500 tons. Pushed barges — when paired with a certified mother vessel — qualify for a reduced rate of €590. For river cruise vessels, the fee is €1,575.
Tip: Some trade organizations, such as the Netherlands-based PTC Groep, may reimburse all or part of the certification costs for their members. This can significantly lower the financial threshold and shorten the payback period.
Which Inland Vessels Are Eligible?
The Green Award certificate is available for a wide range of vessel types in the inland shipping sector, both for cargo and passenger transport. Commonly certified vessels include dry cargo ships, tankers, container ships, push boats, and hopper barges. Passenger vessels such as ferries, river cruise ships, and day cruisers are also eligible.
The program also supports innovative vessels with hybrid or zero-emission propulsion systems, provided they meet the sustainability criteria. Older inland vessels with CCR1, CCR2, or pre-CCR engines may also qualify, as long as the engines are well-maintained and retrofitted with emission-reducing technologies such as SCR catalysts and DPFs. This gives existing vessels the opportunity to achieve certification without a full engine replacement.
Platinum: Reward for Zero-Emission Operation
The Platinum label within the Green Award program is reserved for inland vessels that demonstrably operate with zero emissions during sailing or operations. To qualify for zero-emission sailing, a vessel must be able to operate emission-free for at least three consecutive hours or for a minimum of 50% of the sailing time — using, for example, battery packs, containerized battery systems, or hydrogen technology.
For zero-emission operations — such as those performed by crane vessels — the requirement is that at least 50% of operational hours are emission-free, for example through fully electric cranes or auxiliary engines. These achievements must be substantiated with logbooks, usage data, and quarterly reports.
Benefits of Platinum Certification
A Green Award certificate at the Platinum level offers significant strategic advantages for inland vessels. In cities such as Amsterdam, Zaanstad, and Nijmegen in the Netherlands, and Duisburg in Germany, Platinum-certified vessels benefit from up to 20% additional discount on inland port dues. This top-level emission certification also improves the chances of success in emission-based tenders, where zero-emission performance is often a strict requirement.
Additionally, the Platinum label enhances your vessel’s or company’s sustainable reputation with governments, clients, and shippers. Note: Platinum is a supplementary label and always requires a valid Bronze, Silver, or Gold certificate as a foundation.