Tag: biofouling

Research commissioned by Swedish biotechnology company, I-Tech AB has confirmed that barnacle fouling is hugely prevalent in ship niche areas. The report notes that maritime must take steps to mitigate the impact of hard fouling in these areas. 

Following the release of the first industry standard on in-water cleaning of ships, developed by BIMCO and ICS, IMO asked to include it in its on-going work.

Biological invasions are responsible for substantial biodiversity declines as well as high economic losses to society and monetary expenditures associated with the management of these invasion.

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and BIMCO issued an approval procedure for in-water cleaning companies, aiming to set minimum requirements for approval of cleaning companies for various types of operations.

Klaveness Combination Carriers is focusing on minimizing marine growth on the underwater hull of their vessels to reduce hull friction resistance, as the company supports that lower hull friction leads to lower fuel consumption and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

South Korean marine supplier Tas Global Co., Ltd and Danish environmental consultant DHI Water and Environment are the latest entities to join the Global Industry Alliance (GIA) for Marine Biosafety, which now counts seven members. 

​Hapag-Lloyd AG recently joined the Global Industry Alliance (GIA) for Marine Biosafety, an initiative launched back in June 2020 by the IMO GloFouling Partnerships project. 

The Japan P&I Club informed that two vessels had failed the documented audit before calling at New Zealand based on the Craft Risk Management Standard (CRMS). New Zealand authorities made a Notice of Direction in June 2020, to carry out the underwater cleaning at outside of the territorial water.

The IMO-led GloFouling Partnerships project is tackling the introduction of invasive aquatic organisms into new marine environments. Such invasions have the potential to affect biodiversity and ecosystem health, but also significantly affect several economic sectors.

New Zealand announced introduction of a new biofouling survey that will involve compulsory hull checks for up to 40 arriving cargo vessels. The aim is to build a profile of vessels that are most likely to be contaminated with foreign marine species.