Holland America Line and Seabourn Renew Partnership With the Marine Conservation Institute

 

In recognition of Earth Day, Holland America Line and Seabourn renewed their partnership with the Marine Conservation Institute. The partnership with the Washington State–based organization began in 2010 with the “Our Marvelous Oceans” program, and will continue with the signing of a new three-year agreement that runs through 2016.

The goal of “Our Marvelous Oceans” is to foster greater understanding of the marine environment through guest and staff education and commitment to sustainably sourced seafood on shipboard menus. The partnership also includes a new “Saving the Ocean’s Gems” program to be rolled out in fall 2013 that promotes Marine Protected Areas — parts of the ocean set aside to protect endangered species, special habitats and/or cultural heritage sites — especially along the ships’ itineraries.

Both Holland America Line and Seabourn strive to ensure that seafood menu selections served aboard both lines are responsibly sourced, promoting the continued viability of fish species essential to a biologically diverse marine environment. The Marine Conservation Institute determines the sustainability of a particular seafood item by referring to well-established seafood sustainability ratings. They then apply their professional expertise and judgment to confirm the sustainability of the selection.  

The educational element of the “Our Marvelous Oceans” program includes a video series broadcast on all Holland America Line ships and on the line’s websites, which introduces ocean issues and highlights important marine conservation topics that relate to the ships’ itineraries.

As part of the lines’ onboard enrichment programs, Marine Conservation Institute board members, executives and staff present lectures and conduct question-and-answer sessions on select itineraries. 

With the new “Saving the Ocean’s Gems” focus, Marine Protected Areas in and near the lines’ most traveled itineraries will be identified, and Holland America Line and Seabourn will work with Marine Conservation Institute to provide enrichment opportunities for guests to learn more about the areas.

Holland America Line and Seabourn's Environmental Management Systems are certified to conform to the ISO 14001 standard by independent registrars - Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance and Det Norske Veritas, respectively. The Environmental Management System is the collection of all environmental policies, training and procedures for every shipboard significant environmental aspect. This certification recognizes the environmental standards, commitment to continual improvement and policy to prevent pollution.

For more information, visit www.hollandamerica.com and www.seabourn.com.