The Royal Alfred Marina is one of only three Marinas in South Africa that qualify for the prestigious international Blue Flag award, and the only one in the Eastern Cape. RAMHOA (our home owners' association) is committed to protecting and enhancing our natural environment.
Features and Updates
Blue Flag Awards for 2023/24
Educational Workshop with SAIAB & Kuyasa High School
What is the "Blue Flag"?
The Blue Flag Programme for marinas, beaches and tourism boats is run by the non-governmental, non-profit organisation FEE (Foundation for Environmental Education). The Blue Flag Programme was started in France in 1985. It has been operating in Europe since 1987 and in areas outside of Europe since 2001, when South Africa joined. Today, Blue Flag has become a truly global Programme with an ever-increasing number of countries participating.
The Blue Flag Programme promotes sustainable development in freshwater and marine areas. It challenges local authorities and site operators to achieve high standards in water quality, environmental management, environmental education and safety. Over the years, the Blue Flag Programme has become a highly respected and recognised eco-label working to bring together the tourism and environmental sectors at local, regional and national levels.
Blue Flag Marina Criteria
To attain the Blue Flag, a marina must comply with a number of criteria concerning environmental information and education, environmental management, safety and service facilities, and water quality.
Blue Flag marinas must be committed to implementing sound management with respect to nature, to sustain the viability of the local environment. To find out more about how the Royal Alfred Marina integrates with its environment, please also read the About the Marina page.
A management committee is responsible for instituting environmental management systems and conducting regular environmental audits of the marina.
Information relating to local eco-systems and sensitive environmental elements or areas must be publically available for all marina users.
A code of conduct that reflects appropriate laws or rules governing the use of the marina and surrounding areas must be displayed at the marina.
Environmental Education
A Blue Flag marina is responsible for offering environmental education activities to the users and staff of the marina to:
- increase awareness of, and care for, the aquatic environment
- provide training in environmental best practice methods.
- encourage the participation of local stakeholders in ecosystem management
- promote sustainable recreation and tourism in the area.