Australia will allocate A$500 million ($379.10 million), in an attempt to protect the Great Barrier Reef. Specifically, the funding will aim to improve the water quality and safeguard the Coral Reef from starfish attacks. Part of the funding will make sure that sediment, nitrogen and pesticide won’t end up in the coral reef, damaging its ecosystem.
Under the National Environmental Science Program, the Australian Government has funded a research on the measurement of shipping noise and its potential impact on whales and other marine animals. This would be the first comprehensive nation-wide assessment of shipping noise in Australia.
Australia’s leading research organisations will collaborate to build resilience and repair the Great Barrier Reef, following the country’s Federal Government announcement of $60 million for measures aimed at protecting the Great Barrier Reef.
The introduction of invasive aquatic species associated with global shipping has been identified as a significant threat to the world’s oceans and coastal ecosystems. Research indicates that 70-80% of IAS introductions occur from biofouling and new areas are being invaded.
DNV GL focuses on biofouling, which sees an increasing interest from the industry, as it can be a significant risk for marine environment. While there are no immediate proposals for regulation on the table at the IMO, new regulations are in place or developing in various countries.
An IMarEST workshop on practical biofouling management strategies was conducted in Melbourne, Australia, on 12-15 September. Biofouling is defined as the undesirable accumulation of aquatic organisms like, plants, algae and animals on ships’ hulls, which pose at risk the conservation of biodiversity.
AMSA issued a Marine Notice to provide general information on the revised 2015 Anti-fouling and In-water Cleaning Guidelines for Australia and New Zealand, and the IMO’s 2011 Guidelines for the control and management of ships’ biofouling, to minimize the transfer of invasive aquatic species.
INPEX announced that the world’s largest semi-submersible platform and the central processing facility of the Ichthys LNG Project safely arrived in the Australian waters of the Browse Basin, on May 29th. The 120,000-tonnes “Ichthys Explorer” reached her final destination, 220 kilometres off the north coast of Western Australia, where she will be located for 40 years.
Australia-based LNG Limited informed that Transport Canada’s TERMPOL Review Committee has completed the review of Bear Head LNG’s TERMPOL report. The TERMPOL process is a technical review of marine terminal systems and transshipment sites that identifies navigational and marine transportation-related recommendations to support a safe shipping environment.
The Maritime Union of Australia signed new work arrangements with Japanese energy INPEX on the Ichthys LNG project, which aims at enhancing the skills of Australian maritime workers in the offshore oil and gas sector. Project is expected to produce 8.9 million tonnes of LNG and 1.6 million tonnes of LPG each year, along with more than 100,000 barrels of condensate per day at peak.
