Australia joins New Zealand and California and requires international vessels to provide information on how biofouling has been proactively managed prior to arriving in its territorial seas, reads a Gard release.
The aim of Australia’s new regulation is to protect marine biodiversity, but maintaining clean vessel hulls will also reduce fuel consumption and help operators to reach their emission reduction targets.
New mandatory biofouling management requirements in Australia
The Australian Government’s Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAWE) has announced that, beginning 15 June 2022, international vessels trading to Australia will be required to provide information on how biofouling has been managed prior to arriving in Australian territorial seas. This information shall be reported through the Australian Maritime Arrivals Reporting System (MARS).
According to DAWE, the information will be used to target vessel interventions and vessel operators will receive less intervention for biofouling if they comply with one of the following three accepted biofouling management practices:
- Implementation of an effective biofouling management plan; or
- Cleaned all biofouling within 30 days prior to arriving in Australia; or
- Implementation of an alternative biofouling management method pre-approved by the Australian authorities.
DAWE has further announced that it will be taking an educational initial approach to enforcing the new requirements between 15 June 2022 and 15 December 2023.
During this period, focus will be on providing education and advice to ship operators with the aim of minimizing unintentionally incorrect pre-arrival reporting and improve the effectiveness of biofouling management plans.
However, powers under the Australian Biosecurity Act 2015 will continue to be used to manage unacceptable biosecurity risks associated with biofouling.
The Australian regulations and associated guidance documents can be downloaded from the DAWE website: Managing biofouling in Australia. In addition, an import industry advice notice was issued on 17 May 2022.
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Source: Gard
