MANIGEL, U., 2011. IMCI Blue Star Marina Certification - a Transparent System to Indicate the Quality Level of Marinas. In: Micallef, A. (ed.), MCRR3–2010 Conference Proceedings, Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue, No. 61, pp. 123–125. Grosseto, Tuscany, Italy, ISSN 0749–0208.

The International Marine Certification Institute (IMCI) is an EU based, independent non-profit association notified by the EU Commission for the CE certification of recreational crafts. Established in 1996, the association is committed to adding value to the worldwide recreational craft industry by assessing the compliance of marinas, companies, products, services and business professionals. IMCI offers the highest professional standards of quality and safety and has worked with more than 2000 clients worldwide to date. The scope of the IMCI Blue Star Marina Certification Program is water based tourism and recreational boating. The IMCI Board has assigned a special committee to create this much needed program in the boating industry in an effort to implement a single world-wide scheme. The IMCI BLUE STAR Marina Certification program uses a range between 1 and 5 stars to indicate the quality of certified marinas. The star system is already in use as an accepted method used for hotels, restaurants and campgrounds. It is a transparent and comprehensible system for the marina user as well as the marina operators. Both the user and operator will benefit from this expected marina service quality.

Certification topics include external presentation, sanitary installation and hygiene, service facilities, food and chandlery supplies, leisure facilities, environmental protection and waste management practices, security and safety. Certification is granted after a positive assessment by an IMCI Inspector. A mandatory re-assessment assures the continuous reliability of the certification and the marina's quality. IMCI ensures the comparability of marinas across all borders by centralising the training of its international net of marina inspectors.

IMCI maintains a list of all assessed marinas by name, location and awarded stars on both internet and in print media, thus, being readily accessible to the boat user. The certified marina receives the certificate along with an outdoor star certification plaque.