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DUNKERQUE-PORT RECEIVES ISO 9001 CERTIFICATION
12th january 2010

During 2007 the General Management of Dunkerque-Port decided to aim for accreditation regarding its facilities for ships and inland waterway vessels. The Port achieved this objective at the end of December 2009 on the basis of the ISO 9001 version 2008 benchmark.

This accreditation was awarded by LRQA (Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance) following audits conducted in October and November 2009.  In line with the Strategic Plan, this certification marks a new phase in the improvement drive led for several years.

Together with the certifications already gained from partners in Pilotage, Towage and Boatage, this accreditation will guarantee the level of service expected by the customers of Dunkerque-Port and strengthen its position as a major player in sea and inland waterway transport, both at European level and worldwide.

Besides the professionalism of the Port's relations with external organisations, the certification allows better internal coordination between the Harbour Master's Office, lock operators, winch operators, and structure maintenance personnel. It will thus ensure a high quality of service for ocean-going ships and river vessels using the infrastructures of Dunkerque-Port.

A dynamic of improvement

Ultimately, the requirements of the ISO 9001 standard simply reflect "managerial common sense". Concretely, to meet these requirements, for each process of the management system, organisations were clarified and formalised, and precise objectives cascading the quality policy were defined. These objectives are measured regularly to check the efficiency of what is set up. The entire system is examined during process reviews and management reviews in order to monitor the relevance, appropriateness and effectiveness of the management system as a whole and hence maintain the dynamic of improvement.

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