Mandatory biofouling management requirements in Australia from 15 June 2022

Members are advised that from 15 June 2022 all international vessels calling at Australian ports will be subject to biosecurity control and will be required to provide information relating to biofouling management practices before entering in Australian territorial waters.

Essentially, vessels will need to comply with one of the following three accepted biofouling management practices:

• Implementation of an effective biofouling management plan and associated record book (as per IMO’s 2011 Guidelines for the Control and Management of Ships’ Biofouling to Minimize the Transfer of Invasive Aquatic Species); 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 Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAWE).

Members that have not applied one of the three accepted biofouling management practices will be subject to further questions and assessment of the biosecurity risk associated with biofouling on the vessel.

For more information on these requirements, please refer to the related links below.

Categories: Loss Prevention, Pollution