Southport ferry terminal certified as North Carolina Clean Marina

The N.C. Department of Transportation’s ferry terminals in Southport and Fort Fisher are the newest facilities to be certified as North Carolina Clean Marinas, a designation given to marinas that exceed minimum environmental regulatory requirements.

The Clean Marina program illustrates how marina operators can help safeguard the environment by using management and operation techniques that exceed environmental requirements. To earn the certification, the marina’s owners prepare spill prevention plans and conduct safety and emergency planning. Marina operators also control boat maintenance activities to protect water quality.

North Carolina Clean Marina is a voluntary program in which marina operators who choose to participate must complete an evaluation form about their use of specific best management practices. If a marina meets criteria developed by the N.C. Division of Coastal Management, it will be designated as a Clean Marina. Such marinas are eligible to fly the Clean Marina flag and use the program’s logo in their advertising. The flags signal to boaters that a marina cares about the cleanliness of area waterways.

Clean Marina is a nationwide program developed by the National Marine Environmental Education Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works to clean up waterways for better recreational boating. The foundation encourages states to adapt Clean Marina principles to fit their own needs.

The North Carolina program is a partnership between the N.C. Division of Coastal Management, N.C. Boating Industry Services, the N.C. Marine Trade Association, the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Program, N.C. Sea Grant, the U.S. Power Squadron, and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.