In a bid to respond to the increasing attention and pressure surrounding biofouling management, BIMCO announced the launch of a survey to gain insight into how shipowners are managing the topic and to provide relevant advice to IMO, as the Organization is currently working on how to improve biofouling management.
Biofouling management is an important issue, as fouling on a ship’s hull significantly reduces hydrodynamic performance and increases fuel consumption. Furthermore, biofouling impacts ships’ emissions and potentially transfers invasive species.
The industry has recently seen local and regional regulation that mandates the use of a biofouling management plan. One example is New Zealand, where all ships arriving in the country from 1 May 2018, are required to have a clean hull in accordance with the Craft Risk Management Standard for Biofouling (CRMS). Australia and the US have also announced their own regulation covering biofouling management. Meanwhile, IMO is currently working to address how to improve biofouling management.
Additionally, in response to the growing concerns over the impact of hull biofouling on the marine environment, BIMCO and a group of industry partners have set out to create an internationally recognised standard on underwater hull and propeller cleaning.
The group consists of eight different organisations, including paint manufacturers, ship owners and cleaning companies taking a holistic approach to establish an international standard that will work in practice. The standard is expected to be finalized in the autumn of 2019.
BIMCO has also produced a Hull Fouling Clause for Time Charter Parties, which sets out the physical circumstances and the point in time when the responsibility for hull fouling passes from the owners to the charterers when an extended period of idleness is due to charterers’ orders.